Charlie Alford

Interim Timms Report brands DWP PIP system “not fit for purpose”

Post author:Grace
Post published:10 July 2026
Post last modified:10 July 2026

On 9 July, social security and disability minister Stephen Timms published his interim report on the state of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system. The initial findings were damning, recognising that the payments were vitally necessary for disabled recipients, but ultimately “not fit for purpose”. In large part, this failing was due to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)-managed assessment system. Participants branded those assessments as “dehumanising”, “soul destroying”, and “degrading”. The review also highlighted pressing concerns regarding: whether the functional assessment and descriptors fully reflect real-life impacts, particularly for fluctuating, multiple, and less visible conditions, as well as about…

The next PM must act on the interim Timms Report and scrap the DWP’s PIP assessment system

Post author:Grace
Post published:9 July 2026
Post last modified:9 July 2026

On 9 July, the interim Timms Review branded Personal Independence Payments (PIP) “not fit for purpose”. The news comes as the Labour Party searches for a new leader, and a new UK prime minister, to boot. Right now, Andy Burnham looks like a shoo-in — and he’s got a golden opportunity to scrap PIP as we know it. Stephen Timms, the minister for social security and disability, began his investigation back in October. The interim report drew on well over 38,000 responses to the government’s call for evidence. It highlighted that PIP assessments were frequently “dehumanising”, “degrading” and “stressful” for claimants.…

MPs accuse student loan system of “mis-selling” generation of graduates

Post author:Maddison Wheeldon
Post published:7 July 2026
Post last modified:7 July 2026

MPs from the Treasury Committee have released a new report which accuses the government of mis-selling student loans, pointing out that comparisons to mobile phone bills or cinema tickets were not reflective of the true cost of repayments. The MPs also want Chancellor Rachel Reeves to scrap plans to freeze the repayment threshold for people on the expensive Plan 2 loans. As things stand, it’ll stay at £29,385 from 2027 to 2030, instead of going up with inflation, meaning many graduates will end up paying back more. This choice to freeze – which will increase students’ repayments year on year if…

Lush launches product to resist UK government assault on justice system

Post author:Ed Sykes
Post published:2 July 2026
Post last modified:3 July 2026

Lush is no stranger to standing up for what’s right. And now, it has launched a new product to highlight the dangers of the “constitutional crisis taking place in our courts”. The company will donate “75% of the sale price (minus tax)” to Defend Our Juries, which it says has been working hard: defending our right to protest and to a fair trial. Defend Our Juries has been a vocal organiser against the Labour government’s highly controversial ban of Palestine Action. As Lush states on the web page for its new product: Defend Our Juries is a movement of people dedicated…

The system wants you to feel despair

Post author:Yanar Alkayat
Post published:25 June 2026
Post last modified:25 June 2026

It’s a critical time for the left to stand firm with moral clarity, understanding how mechanisms of power impact the psyche and what we can do about it. But the psychological toll on Palestine solidarity activists is nonetheless immense right now. Not since the worst days of Israel’s bloody, ferocious bombing against civilians in Gaza two years ago – watching children shredded on my phone screen daily – have I felt the crippling wound of injustice so viscerally. The Filton 4’s staggering sentencing under a “terrorism connection” for criminal damage – like being sentenced for murder for stealing bread, as one friend…

Everything you need to know about the new qualification system for the 2026 World Cup

Post author:Alaa Shamali
Post published:9 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

The 2026 World Cup is set to enter a radically different phase in its history, following the decision to increase the number of participating teams from 32 to 48. This expansion has not only increased the number of teams but has also completely reshaped the tournament’s structure, from the group stage right through to the knockout rounds. This change has led to an increase in the number of matches from 64 to 104, with the adoption of a completely new competition format, the biggest since the tournament’s inception. A completely new format: 12 groups and an expanded knockout stage In the…

Polanski warns UK food system is close to collapse

Post author:The Canary
Post published:8 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has warned that food insecurity is not a distant threat. He says it’s already impacting customers, farmers and workers in the food industry. In a speech to the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union on 8 June, Polanski warned that the UK’s food system is close to collapse. He spoke of pressures from rising temperatures and global instability and called for urgent action to support the UK’s food resilience. The speech comes as figures from the Autonomy Institute show that UK fruit and veg prices could rise 170% by 2050. And the climate crisis is likely…