69. New Report: How UK Asylum Process Fails Non-Religious Refugees with Dr Lucy Potter

"Home Office officials do not understand what apostasy is — and this affects how non-religious asylum seekers are recognised, questioned, and believed." Dr Lucy Potter returns to Humanism Now to share the findings of her landmark new report on non-religious asylum claims in the UK, produced in collaboration with Humanists UK. Drawing on three years of in-depth qualitative research, the report is the first study to analyse Home Office decision-making policies for those seeking asylum on the basis of leaving religion or non-religious identity. Things we discuss ✔︎ Why the Home Office misunderstands apostasy✔︎ Cultural bias in credibility assessments ✔︎ How interpretation errors can undermine asylum claims✔︎ Policy recommendations for fairer decision-making Read the report Available from Humanists UK (https://humanists.uk) from 24 March 2026. Attend the report launch 📍 Online 📆 Tuesday 24 March, 1.00–2.30pm GMT ➡️ Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/report-launch-non-religious-apostasy-asylum-claims-in-the-uk-tickets-1982976511125/ Event Speakers: Dr Lucy Potter, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of York https://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com/2246305/episodes/14031059/ Lizzie Collinge MP, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group https://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com/2246305/episodes/17588288/ Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, Humanists UKhttps://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com/2246305/episodes/17849032/ Jamie Bell, Solicitor, Public Law and Immigration, Duncan Lewis Connect with Dr Lucy Potter University of York profile: https://www.york.ac.uk/sociology/people/lucy-potter/ ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship profile: https://wrdtp.ac.uk/postdoctoral-fellows/ Send us Fan Mail Support the show Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community! Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe. Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or hello@humanise.liveMusic: Blossom by Light Prism Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices