The bill was meant to be a triumphant riposte to rightwing critics of the UK Conservative government's perceived failure to stop migrants from crossing the Channel from France to the UK in small boats.
But last week, the introduction of a contentious new law - which would give the government the right to criminalise, detain and deport asylum seekers-had been overshadowed by a row triggered by the suspension from the BBC of the TV sports presenter Gary Lineker, who was accused of breaking BBC guidelines over political impartiality. The sequence of events threatened to bring down the BBC's most senior leaders and even to derail parts of the controversial new asylum policy.
The former footballer was criticised by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, after he compared, in a tweet, the language used by ministers to describe their asylum policies to that used in Germany in the 1930s. He refused to apologise for his tweet, and was asked by the BBC to step back from presenting the much-loved Premier League football highlights show Match of the Day while a resolution was sought.
His suspension meant that the corporation was forced to abandon most of the weekend's football coverage and to air drastically shortened versions of the show for two days running, after other pundits refused to appear on air in solidarity with Lineker.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?
The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.
'It's not drought - it's looting'
Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.
Life in the grey Zone
Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?
Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40
Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.
Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail
Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.
Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet
Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?
Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning
When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.
Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back
In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.
Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?
In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.
Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp
A year after anti-immigration riots, a site for asylum seekers faces hostility while some locals try to help new arrivals
