You can’t cut child poverty without scrapping the two child benefit limit, and you can’t be a Labour government if you preside over rising child poverty. Me for @labourlist.bsky.social on the route to getting done what Labour must get done. labourlist.org/2025/11/gord...

Really good thread from Becca here

Proper good news today - the Renters' Rights Act gets Royal Assent. Citizens Advice see 200 people a day with problems in private rented housing. The act shifts the balance towards tenants, but it's just the start, as @tessthompsonca.bsky.social says here wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/the-renters-...

Is saying that the Jews run the world antisemitic or just vigilant? Tune in for next week's episode of "is it racist to be racist"

Every word of this.

Twenty of the second tier Championship clubs in 2025 now have higher attendances than the 15k that Villa had in 1986. Football as a source of local connection + pride was in a bad way then and a much better place beyond the premiership today

My colleague @mashley.bsky.social argued recently that directly reducing electricity bills (to reverse the levies) may be a better use of government money than cutting VAT. Why? Because it opens up an affordable route to get off gas and further lower bills, via electric heating

Excellent thread on what should guide any Jobcentre engagement with disabled claimants (many of these principles should be standard across the whole UC system - not just for those currently exempt from conditionality).

This is what we keep seeing- and keep saying- at Citizens Advice. Was in Durham today speaking to debt advisors and no one there thought the cost of living crisis had ended.

“I think politicians are ignoring prices and bills and hoping we’ll forget about them and find something else to complain about…” My report on how the flighty Westminster bubble forgot about the cost-of-living crisis, which certainly isn't over:

New @citizensadvice.bsky.social report on Temporary Accommodation. People know that it's really expensive for local authorities to house tenants in TA, but this report shows how expensive it is for the families too. lnkd.in/ejB5ycRU

💡 Ofgem’s changes on standing charges won’t cut bills - lower charges just mean a higher cost per unit for energy. Tinkering at the edges won’t help people this winter. We need long-term, targeted support for households facing record energy prices ⤵️ https://shorturl.at/NSTLZ

Our latest data shows that people’s problems are becoming more urgent and more complex. And the systems designed to support them are harder to navigate than ever. Join us on 25 September to hear from a panel of experts and explore our data ⤵️ https://bit.ly/41XFPsn #CADataInsights

There was some good chat here a while back about the glorious awfulness of Ukraine 0-0 Switzerland AET at the World Cup in 2006 - aka Probably the Worst Game of All Time. Is Kairat 0-0 Celtic in the second leg of the CL qualifiers (aggregate 0-0, heading to extra time) a rival?

I don't drive much and am terrible at parking when I do, but this is a good example of a market intervention that obviously works for consumers. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Come and join the best team going to do impactful work on welfare policy. This is a great opportunity to learn and develop research and influencing skills in a friendly and supportive organisation.

Lauren Hemp, Norfolk hero and European champion. Congratulations Lionesses!

The challenge of energy affordability is very real, but rising block tariffs aren’t the answer. People on low incomes with poorly insulated homes or who need more energy for health reasons could see rising bills, while those with multiple homes or can install solar panels avoid paying a fair share

Lucy Bronze on how she decided to blast her penalty down the middle (and score). “Statistically it’s risky for the goal keeper to stand still… so yeah, I love maths”.

Terrible penalties = great shootout

New paper from Citizens Advice on how to deliver tangible growth - which puts money in people’s pockets - in consumer markets. TLDR: Consumer confidence is key & slashing hard won consumer protections without adequate safeguards isn’t the answer.

Great report and thread below on the links between health and work. Super topical...

That would be the wrong conclusion. This isn’t about sticking to plans, it’s about not having good plans to begin with. This policy was terrible from day one. Any commentary should start from there.

6/15 The best summary of the UCPIP Bill and what it means that I have seen in the past 24 hours is from @lauralhutch.bsky.social & @tommacinnes.bsky.social of @citizensadvice.bsky.social wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/these-are-no... They call out the awful euphemism underpinning the entire exercise.

Unity across disability organisations and charities in calling for MPs to vote against the UC & PIP Bill today www.ucpipbill.co.uk/wp-content/u...

The vote is today. If MPs vote for the bill they are enshrining this short termist, arbitrary unfairness in law

If Parliament votes in favour of the UCPIP Bill it will enshrine an arbitrary cut in law. We welcome the Timms Review but once again the government is doing things in the wrong order. @CitizensAdvice is asking MPs to vote against these proposals and calling on government to step back and think again

Exempting current claimants from harmful cuts does not mean profound harm will not be inflicted as result of UCPIP bill. Citizens Advice is urging MPs to vote against the bill. These are not reforms. They are cuts to people who can least afford it. wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/these-are-no...

A long thread on why the concessions in and around the UCPIP Bill (ie the disability benefits cuts) are illusory, disingenuous and potentially makes things worse 🧵 There are 5 big myths to bust -fifth is the most difficult to untangle, but the most significant in my view, so please do bear with 🙂

A genuinely elite achievement by Lee Carsley. And the team did what all fans of the men’s seniors have always wanted- played like they do for their clubs. No fear, no weight of the shirt. And yeah the fearlessness of youth helps, but for decades the u21s were underachievers too

After all the rumours we now know what's in the amendment. From November next year, new claimants who need help to cut up food, dress, wash, or use the toilet would be denied the lifeline that PIP provides. For young disabled people and people who become disabled in the future, it is utterly bleak

How will the proposed disability benefit cuts impact disabled people? Today we’re sharing the story of one of the people we’ve helped: Anita*. The cuts could mean she loses over £8k per year (43% of her income)❗ New blog out now: medium.com/p/1ab8959922a1

Copied over from twitter but- this doesn’t make sense. There’s only one descriptor you can actually get 3 points for. All the others go up in even numbers only. So either this means rewriting the descriptors or the person proposing it doesn’t understand the system. It’s just another arbitrary change

This is tomorrow! Still time to sign up and watch along

NEW: A coalition of anti-poverty, advice and disability organisations are asking MPs to vote against the UC & PIP Bill, which contains the biggest cuts to social security in a decade. A briefing from orgs inc Citizens Advice, Scope, Mind, JRF and Trussell available here www.ucpipbill.co.uk

Looking forward to speaking at this on Thursday, sharing @neweconomics.bsky.social analysis on the scale & impact of the planned cuts, what's been driving increased claims, & whether benefit cuts, tighter eligibility & increased conditionality are good ways to cut costs (spoiler alert: they're not)

Have written up some of my thoughts about the increasingly sinister use of 'non-UK born' and 'white British' in the British press. The obsession with 'white British' citizens over other British citizens harms all of us and needs to be called out. benansell.substack.com/p/who-counts

Today, the government laid its Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill before parliament. But what's actually in the bill and what happens next? New blog out now: wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/why-were-ask...

Join @citizensadvice.bsky.social on Thursday 26th June for our next data insights event - with a spotlight on disability We'll be discussing the disability benefit cuts with a range of experts www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/citizens-a...

V. positive Spending Review has confirmed multi-year funding for crisis support. Good to see move towards crisis support being a permanent part of welfare support, and away from the short-term Household Support Fund approach - But still some questions about how the new fund will work in practice

Why do successive (including current) government “reforms” to welfare often sow the seeds for next crisis? Myself and @tommacinnes.bsky.social have a stab at explaining here. wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/short-sighted-policy-making-why-does-history-keep-repeating-itself-a096aed4eb4d

A blog by @lauralhutch.bsky.social & me, pulling together some of the strands from recent work by our colleagues @craigpberry.bsky.social @julia-rt.bsky.social and @maddyirose.bsky.social. Link here - it’s an 8 minute read apparently wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/short-sighte... (1/6)

everything is securities fraud www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Not a masterclass, a grandmasterclass. Let's enjoy Joe Root's genius while we can.

Been reading this by @richardpope.org in my lunch hours and it’s rewiring how I think about public services and the policy building behind them. It’s also really nicely written. Strong recommend.

You can find the full briefing, co-authored with @beccastacey.bsky.social, here: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Work won’t cut it New briefing for @citizensadvice.bsky.social by me and @beccastacey.bsky.social We look at whether people losing PIP and UC income will be better off *if* they move into employment, if reforms were implemented today Here's a quick 🧵 but spoiler alert: probably not