Each year, tens of thousands risk everything to reach Britain, hoping for safety. Instead, they find themselves trapped in a system designed to deter, not protect. From the beaches of Dover to the corridors of the Home Office, what really happens to those seeking asylum in the UK?

Nicola Kelly has spent years uncovering the human cost of Britain’s immigration policies. A former diplomat and Home Office insider turned investigative journalist, she has reported on the small boats crisis, deportation flights, and the people left in limbo by an asylum process collapsing under political pressure.

Led in conversation by Paul van Zyl, co-founder of The Conduit, Nicola shares first-hand accounts from the frontlines—coastguards, caseworkers, barristers, and asylum seekers themselves—revealing a system riddled with contradictions and injustice.

Speakers:

Nicola Kelly is an award-winning journalist covering UK immigration and asylum, with work in The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, and more. A former diplomat, she was posted in Brussels and Istanbul, with stints in Beirut, Rome, No. 10, and the Home Office. Her book, Anywhere But Here: How Britain’s Broken Asylum System Fails Us All, publishes on 3 April 2025. Her reporting has influenced legal cases, parliamentary inquiries, and government scrutiny. Nicola regularly appears on BBC and LBC and is a mentor at the Refugee Journalism Project. She lives in South London with her husband and toddler.

Moderated by Paul van Zyl, the co-founder and CEO of The Conduit. Paul is a winner of the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission and co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), an international human rights organisation based in New York City.