Paddington Bear and the View from Outside the Hostile Environment: A Legal Analysis of Refugee Stories in the UK

Paddington Bear is a beloved children’s book character, created by Michael Bond in 1958. Heralded as a symbol of British culture, he is known for his polite manners and love of orange marmalade. But Paddington’s story also cannot be separated from the history of migrants and refugees who have made a life for themselves in the UK. Originally inspired by Bond’s memories of British evacuees moving to the countryside during the Second World War, and Jewish refugee children arriving to the UK through the Kindertransport, Paddington is the embodiment of the UK’s own narrative on its stance towards child refugees: that it has always been on the right side of history, welcoming them with open arms. But when one views this character, within his books or highly successful film franchise, against the UK’s overt attempts to create a hostile environment to deter refugees and migrants, Paddington begins to feel hypocritical, and even anachronistic. This bear cannot symbolise a country which is proud to have been deeply influenced and shaped by immigrants. Instead, he tells a story of a country that has never welcomed young refugees, despite the stories it tells itself. This essay will therefore reflect on the legal background that underpins Paddington’s wellknown story of arriving irregularly in London, having fled an environmental disaster in “darkest Peru” – and highlight the deep tension between one of Britain’s most beloved characters, and the reality he would have faced in the UK’s hostile environment.