May Bulman
The Independent
United Kingdom
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Recent articles by May:
From Ebola crisis to east London: How aid workers have been deployed in UK for first time to fight coronavirus
Having spent the last five years fighting cholera in South Sudan, battling Ebola in Sierra Leone and responding to a measles outbreak among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, the last thing Melanie Villarreal expected was for her next deployment for Médecins Sans Frontières' (MSF) to be in London. The humanitarian worker, who has worked in nine overseas conflict zones and → Read More
‘Deeply unfair’: Ministers urged to expand visa extensions to care workers and low-paid NHS staff
Ministers are coming under mounting pressure to expand their offer of automatic visa extensions for NHS staff to include care workers and low-paid hospital staff such as cleaners and porters. → Read More
'Give more children sanctuary here': Scheme bringing lone child refugees to safety in UK ends
Ministers are facing calls to bring more unaccompanied child refugees to the UK after it emerged the Home Office’s scheme for offering sanctuary to lone minors in Europe has ended - despite the fact that thousands remain stranded on the continent. → Read More
‘Grave injustice’: Ministers urged to review ‘discriminatory’ universal credit rates for under-25s
Ministers are being urged to review what has been described as the “discriminatory” rates of universal credit given to under-25s after a record number of young people lost their jobs during the pandemic. → Read More
'I don’t know why I’m still here': Hundreds held for deportation despite coronavirus travel ban
“I haven’t slept a night since I came here,” says Hazir, 38, who has been in Harmondsworth removal centre for the last three months. The Albanian national says he has shed 17kg in that time and developed rashes on his arms that he believes are from stress. “I don’t know why I’m still here. I feel like I’m being held hostage,” he adds. “I feel scared.” → Read More
Is an end to detaining trafficking victims in sight?
We’ve known the Home Office has been detaining victims of trafficking in removal centres for a long time. There have been numerous legal challenges over the last few years which have found the department to be acting unlawfully in doing so, and forced to pay out hefty damages in taxpayers’ cash as a result. → Read More
Home Office to review detention policy after admitting trafficking victim was locked up unlawfully
The Home Office is undertaking a review of its immigration detention policy after admitting that it held a Vietnamese trafficking victim in a removal centre unlawfully. The woman, who was trafficked to the UK in 2016 after being forced to work as a prostitute for three years in Vietnam, Russia and France, was detained in a removal centre last year despite having been → Read More
Coronavirus: Prisoners with symptoms not allowed to shower or exercise for up to two weeks
Prisoners with coronavirus symptoms have been prevented from showering or doing exercise for up to 14 days, a new report from the prison watchdog has revealed. The Prison Inspectorate said tightened restrictions in three large and busy men’s local prisons meant inmates were often out of their cells for only 30 minutes per day, while those who were symptomatic had sometimes → Read More
Coronavirus: Europe could see surge in refugees as pandemic hits poorer countries, says EU asylum agency
The potential resurgence of Isis and the increasing likelihood of major economic disruption and famine in less developed nations could trigger an increase in people fleeing to the UK and other European countries, reports May Bulman → Read More
‘We are lost’: Their father died from coronavirus
'He was a very hardworking man. Now everything is shattered,' says Aylin, 22, whose family has been plunged into financial difficulty since her father died from Covid-19, but cannot get help due to Home Office policy → Read More
Coronavirus: Syrian asylum seeker dies in hotel assigned by Home Office as part of Covid-19 response
A 30-year-old asylum seeker has died in a hotel he was moved into as part of the Home Office’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Syrian man, who cannot be named at this stage, was moved from his asylum housing in Glasgow to a hotel in the city, along with dozens of other asylum seekers last month. → Read More
Daily coronavirus briefings ‘not trustworthy’ and ‘completely embarrassing’, says leading scientist
The government’s daily coronavirus briefings are “not trustworthy communication of statistics”, according to a leading scientist who has been advising ministers during the pandemic. Data given during the briefings is “completely embarrassing” and amounts to “number theatre”, said Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, who sits on the government’s Scientific Advice Group for → Read More
Calais refugees taking more risks to cross to UK as police continue with ‘cruel’ evictions during pandemic
‘People think the only option of getting away from that hellhole is taking a risk on a boat,’ one aid worker says. ‘We’ve seen life jackets being made out of empty water bottles. That’s when you see kids die trying to cross.’ May Bulman and Zoe Tidman report → Read More
Coronavirus: Thousands could be forced to leave UK within weeks under current Home Office guidelines
Thousands of people in the UK could be forced to leave the country within weeks because their visas are set to expire before the end of May. The Home Office said on 24 March that anyone whose leave had expired or was due to expire between 24 January and 31 May, and who could not leave the UK because of Covid-19, would have their visas extended to the end of May. There has → Read More
Calls for review of 'disproportionate' police taser use after two black men targeted in one week
Campaigners are calling for an urgent review of the use of tasers by police after two incidents of black men being tasered in the space of a week caused widespread outrage. The government is being urged to stop the rollout of tasers amid concerns it has led to a “disturbing rise” in its “disproportionate” use against black people and those with mental ill health. → Read More
Coronavirus: Hundreds of thousands of benefit claimants facing delays as DWP staff diverted due to pandemic
Hundreds of thousands of sickness and disability benefit claimants are facing delays in receiving support as government staff are diverted from processing claims to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. → Read More
Coronavirus: Asylum seekers and detainees unable to get tests despite confirmed cases in living facilities
Asylum seekers and immigration detainees have been unable to access coronavirus tests despite living in shared accommodation centres where there have been confirmed cases of the virus. Private firms contracted by the Home Office to run immigration removal centres and asylum accommodation told MPs they were concerned about the inability residents to get tested. → Read More
Eight-year-old boy left street homeless with his mother because Home Office unlawfully refused them benefits
An eight-year-old British boy was left street homeless with his migrant mother because the Home Office unlawfully refused them benefits, the High Court has ruled. The judgement is expected to provide a lifeline to people unable to work during the coronavirus pandemic who are currently blocked from accessing state support. → Read More
Coronavirus: Carers facing 'growing poverty crisis' during pandemic, MPs warned
Ministers are being urged to protect carers from a “growing poverty crisis”, with campaigners warning the coronavirus pandemic has placed them under “intolerable pressure”. A joint letter to MPs, signed by 100 charities and unions including Oxfam, Carers UK and Unison, states that carers on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19 are facing “intolerable pressure” after → Read More
Coronavirus: Social workers brace for a surge in child protection referrals when schools re-open
Social workers are bracing for a surge in referrals of vulnerable children when schools re-open again as abuse and neglect suffered by youngsters in their homes goes unnoticed during the coronavirus pandemic. → Read More