At 4pm on the 17th of December 1992, Jonathan Zito was stabbed to death by a stranger at a London Underground station. This wasn’t an isolated tragedy. From the 1980s onwards, Conservative governments emptied Britain’s mental hospitals and moved thousands of patients into “the community” — but without providing the support or services they needed. … Read more
I grew up in close-knit former mining villages in East Durham—places not unlike Seaham, a town I know well. For years, I was a regular at the Seaham Food Festival, which takes place again this weekend. Where I’m from, solidarity mattered. People stuck together and looked out for each other. These were the kinds of … Read more
The drama in the Commons on Tuesday and Wednesday — as the government scrambled to push through a controversial welfare reform bill — looked like a major crisis. Even with a large majority, Labour struggled to control the narrative. In truth, this kind of backbench revolt is nothing new. Blair faced dozens of them and … Read more
Keir Starmer is facing the biggest rebellion of his premiership over plans to reform the welfare state. Almost a third of Labour MPs have signed an amendment by Meg Hillier aimed at derailing Liz Kendall’s flagship bill, which is due for debate in Parliament next week. The Government will be working over the weekend to … Read more