In honour of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl coming out today, I've been speaking to 'showgirls' in Britain about the glamour of their world 💃 www.bigissue.com/culture/musi...

I spent a wonderful few hours at this family's home where interior designers were transforming a three-year-old girl's bedroom. The results were pretty incredible and the reaction was even better: www.bigissue.com/news/housing...

I adored visiting this school in East London and meeting these kids who made me feel very hopeful about the future! They're on a mission to raise £18,000 for homelessness charities, and they're learning a huge amount in the process. www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

"I was an asylum seeker, and when I got to university, it changed everything. I have hope for the future" I spoke with students and experts about the potential dangers of the Home Office's plans to crack down on international students claiming asylum www.bigissue.com/news/interna...

A lovely surprise to come back from annual leave to find out a story I did on cuckooing has been shortlisted for best news story at the Anti-Slavery Day Awards! Thank you to the Human Trafficking Foundation www.humantraffickingfoundation.org/antislavery-... www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Glasgow City Council confirmed to me it had known this was a dangerous building for years. But costs and the fact the building was listed led to delays. Its collapse in July left residents homeless, their lives uprooted, and feeling lucky that no one was hurt www.bigissue.com/news/housing...

Are you a first time buyer with a Lifetime ISA (LISA) or Help to Buy ISA facing challenges? Are you struggling to find a place to live because the cap on properties hasn't gone up with house prices? I want to hear from you for a piece for the Big Issue! #journorequest

I interviewed MP @rachaelmaskell.bsky.social about her suspension from Labour, her fear's for the party's future and what needs to change to move the country in a positive direction www.bigissue.com/news/politic...

Thanks to @isabellamcrae.bsky.social for the opportunity of a @bigissue.com comment piece, authored by @lakenutrition.bsky.social and other Nutrition North members - you can read about why it's harder to be healthier in the North at www.bigissue.com/opinion/heal...

Misan Harriman's career was catapulted after his photographs of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations caught widespread attention. He became the first black man to shoot the cover of British Vogue. It was powerful to speak to him about protest and resistance www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

In the aftermath of the vote on the welfare bill last night, I spoke to the BBC's Access All podcast ‪about what it means going forward for disabled people – and the devastating impact this last year of uncertainty has had www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Amazing campaign. We can't rely on leaders, only people can make the changes needed happen.🔻

I wrote about the extraordinary campaign that was Make Poverty History. Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK joined the calls to end poverty 20 years ago – so what would it take for that to happen again? www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

I spoke to @isabellamcrae.bsky.social from the @bigissue.com about why I could not vote for the Welfare Bill last night 👇 www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/why-labour-mps-voted-against-disability-benefit-cuts/

This is an incredible feat. Ahmed is a 29-year-old teacher living in Gaza who, despite the horror his own family faced, decided he had to do something to help children. He set up schools in tents and his team now teach 3,000 kids – giving them hope beyond conflict www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

The government argues its PIP cuts won't hit as many people as feared because applicants will appeal against rejections But DWP figures show a ten-month average wait for appeals. And that's before demand rises with the cuts By me, for Big Issue: www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

This week's Big Issue is very special. It was created entirely by a group of teenagers. It was lovely to be so involved in this project – to hear their stories and dreams and help make that a reality in the magazine. www.bigissue.com/opinion/youn...

I've been watching the debate on assisted dying closely this morning. MPs have just voted in favour of legalising the bill, with a majority of 23 votes. It will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny www.bigissue.com/life/health/...

An absolute privilege to speak with Sammi, Navid, Mortza and Roozbeh about their experience being refugees and asylum seekers in Cardiff. They love Wales! www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

A lot of employers could learn something from this scheme at Hilton, which is offering work experience and job roles to people with learning disabilities. It was great to attend their celebration afternoon tea earlier this week 🍰 and you can book to go on 2 July! www.bigissue.com/news/employm...

Bon and Thuy Ly, from Vietnam, are searching for their daughter who was born in 1995 and adopted in 2000 in London. Both are terminally ill and their final wish is to speak to her. They want her to know they have missed her every day. More info in this article ⬇️ www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

This was a brilliant chat with Rosie Jones. We talked about her new sitcom Pushers, about a disabled woman who turns to drug dealing after her benefits are cut It's an experience (minus the drug dealing) that Jones and many other disabled people know well www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/r...

(2/2) I also spoke to @isabellamcrae.bsky.social from the @bigissue.com about why I’ll be voting against the proposed reforms: www.bigissue.com/news/politics/labour-mps-vote-disability-benefit-cuts-rebellion/

I headed to parliament this morning to meet the 15 Labour MPs who were prepared to publicly commit to rebelling against the government in the upcoming vote on benefit cuts. They told me it’s likely far more will side with them in the coming weeks www.bigissue.com/news/politic...

“My appearance, if anything, is the least hard part about my condition. It’s the physical stuff that’s traumatic. It’s all that stuff that makes living with an illness so debilitating” Nikki Lilly is on her way to being a superstar. It was a pleasure to chat to her www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

A powerful film shining a light on the silos of public services failing mothers, children, and families who become stuck in the cycles of harm when services don't see women as mothers, carers, and surving trauma. I was honoured to speak at this powerful screening of Lollipop 🍭

Thanks @isabellamcrae.bsky.social and @bigissue.com for having us to speak on the Q&A panel for this gut-wrenching new film. We shared insight from our briefing, We Need Support, which highlighted the challenges women face navigating child removal. www.bigissue.com/culture/film...

I hosted a special preview screening of new film Lollipop – a powerful, beautiful film about a homeless woman's experiences of trying to regain custody of her children. www.bigissue.com/culture/film...

The stories I heard from Palestinians yesterday - some of whom had phoned in from Gaza - were gut wrenching. They told me it feels like they are speaking into the void. Please read their stories. www.bigissue.com/news/politic...

NHS workers in Manchester's mental health services told me they have faced "multiple horrible tragedies" due to a crisis in staffing. They've accepted a funding deal and called off strikes – but they fear problems persist in mental health teams across the country www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

I wrote for the Guardian’s Saturday magazine about my son Max, who changed how I see the world. Took ages. More jokes after the first bit. Thanks Merope Mills for being the most patient and generous editor. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

“It had always been in the back of my mind that hearing people didn’t know about one of the most important civil rights movements of our time. It deserved to be not only documented, but taught on a wider scale.” www.bigissue.com/culture/film...

There’s a great guide here from @turn2us.bsky.social for journalists around reporting on the benefits system. There’s so much misinformation out there in the media, and it’s leading to dangerous stigma against claimants, so please do give this a read 👇

(1/3) If we want to rebuild trust in the system, we need to change the way we talk about benefits. Most of us will need support from our social security system at some point in our lives. At its best, social security helps people through these moments, helps them to rebuild. However...

Very much enjoyed watching and writing this review of My Master Builder. It's the women who shine in Ewan McGregor's West End return www.bigissue.com/culture/thea...

It was very moving to chat with Ash Bibi – best known for being on second season of The Traitors – about her experience going into a women's refuge at 16. "It's important to know there is always going to be somebody there to help you, and there’s always hope" www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

At least 39,000 overseas care workers have become victims of exploitative employers whose licences have been revoked by the Home Office since 2020 One of them is Joseph – who has been homeless ever since www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

"It was nothing to do with selflessness" I spoke to the extraordinary Sally Becker, who has rescued hundreds of children from war zones including Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Gaza www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Very happy to contribute to @isabellamcrae.bsky.social's excellent piece for The Big Issue: www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

I spoke to six mothers of children jailed for murder under the joint enterprise act, as well as lawyer Simon Natas and Labour MP @kimjohnsonmp.bsky.social, about why they believe the law must be changed @jengba.bsky.social www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

"You have no idea that in reality you have no actual rights over your own family life." Thanks @isabellamcrae.bsky.social for covering the stories of some of the thousands of families kept apart or exiled as a result of the UK's migration rules. #LoveInLimbo www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

These couples are at risk of being separated from each other and their children because of UK visa rules, which mean that a British citizen now has to earn at least £29,000 a year to bring their partner over here. www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Really worth reading this, especially to see Timms' response when confronted with examples of people who'd lose disability benefits under the cuts

I spoke to the minister for disability Stephen Timms last night. He "regrets" that disabled people have felt anxious in the run-up to Labour announcing the biggest cuts to disability benefits on record. But despite arguments I put to him, he stands by the cuts www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

"Clearly designed to meet a savings target imposed by the chancellor’s arbitrary+self-imposed fiscal rules, rather than ensuring ill+disabled people get support they need" 🧵 We've been breaking Labour's big welfare reforms down on @bigissue.com www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Two million people in the UK are suffering with long Covid. Many are facing debilitating health conditions and have been forced out of work. As the government reportedly plans to cut the disability benefits they rely on, I spoke to four people about their stories www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

"Hopefully by the time I change the world, you’ll see more disabled people in movies, on magazine front covers, and it’s not going to be a thing. It’s not going to be tokenism." A pleasure to chat with comedian, TV personality and content creator Fats Timbo www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

NEW: "There is no set of measures the DWP can cook up that will achieve the savings the Treasury is demanding, on the timescale it is demanding them, without blanket-bombing disabled people." My deep dive on what the DWP isn't trumpeting about its latest research: www.bigissue.com/news/employm...

After nearly six years of writing about life, death and boxing in a little office, it was surreal and kinda funny to see and then sign a small sea of my new book The Last Bell in a different office yesterday. It's a really strange way to live and work but I still wouldn't swap it