🚨Personal news🚨
After four wonderful years, I've made the decision to leave Big Issue
From awards ceremonies to front covers, it's been fantastic. But it's time to fly the nest
I'll be freelance from next week. Editors, I'm available for commissions and reporting. Hit me up
England’s batters discussing their strategy for this upcoming career-defining innings #ashes25 #ashes
🚨Three deaths in 10 days in London linked to cychlorphine, a new synthetic opioid
The cases are the first publicly-known UK deaths from the drug
Questions mount over delays in telling frontline services of the threat, and a lack of public information
🧵 Here's what we know:
NEW: Three deaths in London within 10 days have been linked to cychlorphine, a new synthetic opioid 50-200 times stronger than heroin
Questions mount over delays in warning frontline workers of dangers: “People are dying needlessly due to lack of information”
www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
🚨Exclusive: How Yo-yo Homes lost taxpayers £60m+ in five years
Newest part of @bigissue.com investigation tracks fate of 445 ex-council homes across England
💰 Sold for £35.7m
💰 Bought back for £97.1m
📉 Loss of £61.4m
Right to Buy loophole means councils can't reclaim discounts
🚨NEW: A Labour council has blocked a bid to reveal the full extent of its losses on Yo-yo Homes
Both Tories and Greens in Swindon backed the attempt for transparency, raised after @bigissue.com
But Labour called it a waste of time + said the past can't be changed
www.bigissue.com/news/housing...
🚨 EXC: Council sells homes for £10m under Right to Buy, then spends £33m buying them back
Newham Council, which has Eng's highest social housing waiting list, has lost £22m on Yo-yo Homes in 5 yrs, @bigissue.com finds
RtB loophole means they can't reclaim discounts
www.bigissue.com/news/housing...
NEW: Labour pledges £12m to stop 1,000+ veterans becoming homeless
Funding boost comes after Big Issue revealed doubts over future of scheme - with fears March 2026 cliff-edge could see veteran rough sleeping surge. Led to pressure from Tories/Lib Dems
www.bigissue.com/news/housing...
NEW: Shadow defence sec James Cartlidge says Starmer's gov "must urgently confirm" funding for homeless veterans after @bigissue.com reveals doubts over cash could leave hundreds homeless
Story: www.bigissue.com/news/housing...
NEW: Labour should 'urgently' act on Right to Buy reforms to stop councils losing millions buying back Yo-yo Homes they owned just a few years previously, Andy Burnham's deputy Paul Dennett says
Comes after @bigissue.com found 120+ examples, incl in GM👇
Story: www.bigissue.com/uncategorise...
UPDATE: Former veterans' minister Johnny Mercer says he's "very angry" after @bigissue.com reveals cash which helped 1k+ veterans off the streets is in doubt.
"On one hand this government say they will look after veterans. But when they think no-one is looking, they turn off the funding"
“Quite simply, we’re worried that the government does not want its homework marked when it comes to child poverty"
Guardian reporting on @bigissue.com campaign ramping up pressure on government to set firm targets on reducing child poverty
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
🚨EXC: Starmer promised to house all veterans in need. But scheme which has got 1k vets off street is in doubt
👉Veterans orgs tell me future cash is uncertain
👉Orgs warn they'd have to shut housing without funding
👉 One org listed by gov as taking referrals never got cash
🚨 @bigissue.com EXCLUSIVE: Hundreds of veterans could be made homeless as cash for housing in doubt
Starmer promised to 'house all veterans in need'
But orgs funded by Op Fortitude, which provides 900 beds, say they don't know if money will continue past March. Warn rough sleeping could increase
A bigger confirmation of being American than any passport could ever be
🚨 Disabled children are having to wait for nearly four months to receive benefit payments due to government delays - double the time the DWP is meant to process applications in
@cjayanetti.bsky.social for @bigissue.com
www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
🚨Exclusive: Investigation from @bigissue.com reveals councils lost £15M repurchasing 'Yo-yo Homes' sold under Right to Buy, with sellers pocketing profits as homelessness rises. Labour faces calls for reform. #YoYoHomes #RightToBuy #HousingCrisis
www.bigissue.com/news/housing...
A House of Dynamite….don’t think I’ve ever seen a film that so lacked the confidence to actually make the point it wanted to make
At least it was two acts long in runtime as well as plot. Felt like a bottle episode of a v mid prestige TV show
Watch the Sum of All Fears instead
🧨We've dropped the full Yo-yo Home Files (so far!) today. Read them here: www.bigissue.com/news/housing...
🪀What's going on with these Yo-yo Homes?
Councils have no choice but to sell under Right to Buy.
Labour’s keeping the policy going.
Yet homelessness is so bad it often makes, sort of, financial sense, to just buy the homes back – even if it means someone gets rich
10) In February 2017, Ashfield's council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £19,903
In July 2022, they bought it back for £96,000
💸That’s an almost 5x loss of £76,097
9) In December 2016, Stockport Council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £32,300
In May 2023, they bought it back for £135,000
💸That’s a loss of £102,700
8) In August 2018, Doncaster Council’s ALMO St Leger Homes sold a council home under Right to Buy for £46,920
In March 2025, they bought it back for £160,000
💸That’s a loss of £113,080
7) In October 2016, Wigan’s council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £56,000
In May 2022, they bought it back for £190,000
💸That’s a loss of £134,000
6) In January 2019, Rotherham’s council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £30,750
In July 2024, they bought it back for £165,000
💸That’s a 5x loss of £134,250 in five years
5) In March 2014, Swindon’s council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £54,050
In April 2023, they bought it back for £250,000 (with another £29k on repairs and voids)
💸That’s a loss of £195,950
4) In September 2015, Bristol’s council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £32,200
In January 2025, they bought it back for £195,000
💸That’s a 6x loss of £162,800
3) In October 2014, Hackney Council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £95,050
In June 2021, they bought it back for £365,000
💸That’s a loss of £269,950
2) In August 2016, Hounslow Council sold a council home under Right to Buy for £272,662
In March 2023 they bought it back for £575,000
💸That’s a loss of £302,338 in seven years
