Starmer denies UK entry to young Dutch woman for criticising him

Dutch Free Speech activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek has been banned from entering the UK. No charge, no explanation, no hearing, no appeal—just an email declaring her presence “not conducive to the public good,” arriving three days after she criticised Keir Starmer.

She committed no crime. Her “offence”? Lawful political speech against mass immigration, trans ideology, state surveillance, and more.

Yet the same government shows no such urgency with illegal migrants arriving without ID, or extremist-linked groups.

For instance, around 98% of small boat arrivals lack passports upon processing, yet they are often accommodated and directed into the asylum system rather than swiftly removed.

Extremist-linked individuals, including over 170 foreign nationals involved in terrorism or extremism, face delayed deportations due to human rights barriers, requiring ongoing monitoring instead of immediate action.

Asylum seekers get multiple appeals through tribunals (with backlogs averaging 53 weeks), taxpayer-funded legal aid for representation, and protracted processes that can span years—while a critic like Vlaardingerbroek gets zero due process, with her Electronic Travel Authorisation revoked without recourse.

This selective use of power reveals the truth: rights in modern Britain are conditional, based on whether your views align with those in power.

A confident democracy debates ideas openly—it doesn’t ban dissenters quietly.

Credit: Noel McElwee on LinkedIn for the original post (expanded with references and evidence for repost).

Footnotes:

1. Big Issue - Legal aid crisis shows how utterly impossible the UK’s asylum system really is: https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/legal-aid-underfunding-asylum-seeker-appeals (Details taxpayer-funded legal aid for asylum appeals and backlogs).

2. GOV.UK - Tribunal system reforms to speed up asylum decisions: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tribunal-system-reforms-to-speed-up-asylum-decisions (Outlines asylum appeals backlog of 106,000 cases, average wait of 53 weeks).

3. House of Commons Library - Asylum statistics: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01403 (Explains appeal process: 76% of refused applicants lodge appeals, with 33% allowed; work in progress caseload of 224,700).

4. Migration Watch UK - 98% of Channel boat migrants have no passport: https://www.migrationwatchuk.org/news/2022/02/24/98-of-channel-boat-migrants-have-no-passport (Data showing most small boat arrivals lack ID but are processed).

5. Migration Observatory - People crossing the English Channel in small boats: https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/people-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats (Notes only 3% of small boat arrivals returned, with many entering asylum system despite lack of ID).

6. GB News - Home Office admits 170 terrorists cannot be deported from Britain: https://www.gbnews.com/news/home-office-170-terrorists-cannot-be-deported-human-rights-laws (Over half of 170 on restricted leave linked to terrorism/extremism, with deportations blocked).

7. Independent Review of Prevent: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-prevents-report-and-government-response/independent-review-of-prevent-accessible (Discusses selective enforcement in counter-extremism, narrower focus on Islamism vs. broader on extreme right-wing).

8. The Telegraph - Dutch activist and Tommy Robinson ally banned from UK: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/01/14/dutch-activist-tommy-robinson-ally-ban-uk (Vlaardingerbroek: “I’m not a criminal, they’re giving me no due process”).

9. The Guardian - Dutch far-right activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek appears to lose right to UK visa-free travel: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/15/dutch-far-right-influencer-eva-vlaardingerbroek-banned (ETA cancelled without explanation or appeal).

Credit: Noel McElwee on LinkedIn (paraphrased & condensed for repost).