Bill MacKeith

Bill MacKeith is a founder member of the Campaign to Close Campsfield, and also involved with the Bail Observation Project, National Coalition of Anti Deportation Campaigns/Right to Remain, Barbed Wire Britain, and Detention Forum.

The EU and its neighbours: enforcing the politics of inhospitality

Today marks the start of the two-day Valletta Euro-African summit on migration in Malta, but the outcomes of deterrence, surveillance and militarisation are already written.

By Bill MacKeith, Emmanuel Blanchard and Yasha Maccanico

/ 11 Nov 2015

20 years of arbitrary detention in Britain

This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of Campsfield, the immigration removal centre which heralded a mass expansion of detention and opened the door for profit in immigration control in Britain. Yet outside the prison and within, there are voices of dissent, says Bill MacKeith.

By Bill MacKeith

/ 27 Nov 2013

UK Immigration Courts: fresh observations from the Public Gallery

Two years ago trained members of the public attending immigration bail hearings published their first report, "A Travesty of Justice". Today the Bail Observation Project reports again. Unfairness and lack of due process persist.

By Bill MacKeith

/ 16 May 2013

UK Immigration Courts: Observations from the Public Gallery

The UK's immigration courts have been criticised for unfairness and lack of due process for years. Today, a report is published containing observations from trained members of the public who attended immigration bail hearings in 2010. Nearly half found the court proceedings to be irregular.

By Bridget Walker and Bill MacKeith

/ 15 Mar 2011