Investigations editor @LInvestigates. Ex- @openDemocracy, @BigIssue, @HuffPostUK, @hackneygazette. Mentor @JSchofieldTrust
East London via Wolverhampton
- Tweets 6,586
- Following 3,657
- Followers 2,575
- Likes 28,270
When Ljubljana made its centre car-free there were protests. Only 40% backed it.
10 years on, 97% were against reopening it to cars. Air pollution is down 70%. People love it
@sarahirwilson on why car-free cities work bigissue.com/news/environmen…
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bit rich coming from publishers that have dismantled 150-year-old local newspapers so they can update us on new chocolate bars and reality TV contestants
In a rare joint public statement, senior editors at the UK’s five biggest commercial regional news publishers have banded together to call for the BBC to stop “suffocating” their businesses
pressgazette.co.uk/comment-a…
pressgazette.co.uk/comment-a…
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He ran over a 12yo girl in his Range Rover, stopped, pulled her out from underneath, put her on the pavement, got back in his car and just drove off. The girl is still receiving treatment 2.5 years on
A "reckless and selfish" disqualified motorist who seriously injured a 12-year-old girl in a hit-and-run in Islington has been jailed for three years. dlvr.it/SHbP8r
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would be helpful if this royal correspondent could explain to these people how the pool system works, make clear this is his mistake, and ask them to stop attacking other journalists for it
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I’ve been laid off by openDemocracy, along with a load of my amazing colleagues in the UK. Another bad day for good journalism in this country
If anyone needs an editor, reporter, barman, ageing centre forward or hype man hit me up
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Remember when - just after Braverman's 'lifestyle choice' comments - people sleeping rough were evicted and had their tents chucked in the back of a bin lorry?
The Met has now apologised and accepted the eviction was unlawful opendemocracy.net/en/met-pol…
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This is very much ‘irrelevant news’ and I know I’m lucky to have a job at all right now, but this seems the easiest way to let Hackney and Islington people know I’m leaving the Gazettes to go and news edit HuffPost
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Very pleased to have joined the brilliant team at @openDemocracy this week as a news editor. Get in touch at sam.gelder@opendemocracy.net
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Zack and friends from the @CoffeeAfrique Young Black Men scheme ran into a burning building to help people
“We all had different roles. I said I’d find disabled people and a friend was pointing people to exits”
He carried a man down from the 4th floor bigissue.com/news/bethnal-gr…
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People who had been sleeping rough outside a hospital in Camden had their tents destroyed today, with one man arrested
Why? 'Public health concerns'
@streetskitchen say the people had been there for months opendemocracy.net/en/rough-s…
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Tomorrow is my last day here. I’ve loved being part of this team of brilliant journalists over the past year and will really miss working with everyone. I’m also really looking forward to meeting everyone
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Nadine is an absolute star. She can spot a story a mile off, keeps the govt in check, delivers more scoops than Ben & Jerry’s and inspires a generation of journalists while she’s at it. It’s been a joy to work with her and she’s going to do amazing things at the Independent
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Lee Lawrence, who watched his mother Cherry Groce get shot by police in her Brixton home 35 years ago, spoke to @Nadine_Writes about his childhood trauma, Black Lives Matter, and the new memorial for Groce designed by Sir David Adjaye huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/c…
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Record high 11,993 people seen sleeping rough in London last year
1,513 were private renters evicted by their landlord
7,974 were ‘new’ rough sleepers – a 25% rise
number of young people (u25) up 33%
951 had been evicted from asylum accommodation bigissue.com/news/housing/ro…
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Robert Jenrick 'unlawfully' signed off a £1bn housing development by Tory donor Richard Desmond. He did it the day before Tower Hamlets Council introduced a policy that would have seen the publishing tycoon have to pay £30m+ for local investment huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/t…
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'It’s a sacrifice, but I have to'
@RubyJLL spoke to a group of bereaved people travelling for hours and spending thousands to attend the Covid inquiry every day
a poignant reminder of what the inquiry is about as we prepare for the Boris Johnson show opendemocracy.net/en/covid-1…
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The amazing A&E workers at the Whittington were too busy to witness the Clap for Carers applause, but many were brought to tears by the videos. Now they have their own message: 'We stay here for you, please stay home for us' @WhitHealth bit.ly/2QOufLr
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Excellent piece by @JasminGray2 on why decolonising the school curriculum and teaching children Black history are so important in tackling racism. Includes the great work being done by @CurriculumBlack, @MrPranPatel and @SRTRC_England huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/u…
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Most football fans won't know of Jack Leslie – but they should. He was named in the England team in 1925 before officials found out he was Black and removed him. Viv Anderson became England's first Black player 53 YEARS later. @JackLeslieCamp want a statue bit.ly/3hvv9bI
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Jenrick twice refused to help resettle an Afghan women's rights lawyer and her family being hunted by the Taliban over her work with the UK govt
16 of her colleagues have been killed but Home Office said the case wasn't urgent. Now her husband is missing opendemocracy.net/en/robert-…
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14,000 people on the waiting list in Islington. Anyone would think they don't care about the housing crisis
MoJ refuses to sell empty Pentonville Prison flats to Islington Council to house homeless families so it can 'generate more money for them elsewhere' bit.ly/2GqFdTj
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The incredible @jessbrammar and @journoramzy led a news team at @HuffPostUK that punched above its weight with fearless and principled reporting - qualities this industry needs more of, not less. What’s happening is awful but I’m excited to see what they do next
As you'll see from her thread, the amazing news team at @HuffPostUK, which I lead, is being laid off as one of a number of changes made by HuffPost's new owner BuzzFeed. Which means I'm, er, looking for work. Hire me!
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'There’s only so much the public can do. People have been following the rules, but the rules are flawed'
@leonie_chaofong spoke to @dgurdasani1 for this look at how Britain succumbed to Covid huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/h…
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Great to see Nadine being recognised for her Windrush work, and it won’t stop now given the failures of the Home Office compensation scheme and the lack of action on the Wendy Williams review
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London has more than 100,000 combined empty homes, second homes and whole home Airbnb properties...
Coronavirus: Use London’s empty homes to house frontline workers, says charity @emptyhomes
bit.ly/34rtm0Z
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"I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff"
The least surprising bit of the Sue Gray report bigissue.com/news/politics/s…
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Good to see @streetskitchen back in Seven Sisters Road with a proper space bigissue.com/news/housing/st…
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Irene told us on her 110th birthday: 'At 96, when I should be knitting and staying at home, I was travelling around the world. I was a model for Dove. Whether you believe it or not, I can prove it. I am the oldest woman ever at 96 to model for Dove'
The inspirational Irene Sinclair, Dove model and Hackney's oldest resident, has sadly died aged 111 bit.ly/35wclBS
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This new outreach group was formed because Jorawar 'Jay' Singh Rathour walks under the Stroud Green Road bridge on his commute and has seen the problems in recent years. The volunteers bought these items with their own money
Coronavirus: Homeless outreach group gives out health packs to rough sleepers in Finsbury Park bit.ly/3aGVBuF
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They are the best patches a local journalist could wish for, with amazing people doing amazing things. I’ll miss them loads - especially Hackney where I’ve done most of my work. I still have a couple of weeks left, if anyone wants anything covered...
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Luckily, we can do our job from home (despite the efforts of a remotely-accessed InDesign). Here's today's
@hackneygazette. We're now delivering + working on getting the e-edition up earlier so those who don't have to go out can read it and stay in because of the global crisis
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Taught how to get excluded from school, forced to keep working to pay off invented "debts", even flown back to the UK after being rescued by family – these county lines kids are victims. Incredible reporting by @Nadine_Writes and great work by @journoramzy huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/c…
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'This is a war against an invisible enemy, and we do not have anything to fight this war with'
My god this is awful bit.ly/3bJG919
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Windrush victims are put off claiming compensation from the Home Office because the scheme is run by… the Home Office
Those who do claim don’t get proper payouts and many hand lawyers 20-30% because the process is so complicated they need legal advice bigissue.com/news/social-jus…
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Outreach groups want empty office blocks/buildings to be used as homeless shelters this winter as they deal with the severe shortage of beds caused by social distancing measures huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/w…
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Exclusive by @Nadine_Writes, who was trusted by dozens of current and former employees to write this devastating report.
BBC staff accuse corporation of being "institutionally racist"
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/b…
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Corbyn said: 'I love walking along the Seven Sisters Road, I have many friends around the area - the cafes, the shops. But I don't think anybody would call Seven Sisters Road part of the elite of this country'
Jeremy Corbyn laughs off 'Islington elite' tag as he launches campaign at Crouch Hill community centre bit.ly/32H5mEH
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'Our worst students have got the best grades, and our best students have the worst grades.' Wow, @leonie_chaofong has uncovered another shocker huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/p…
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“It comes back to Jeff Bezos. We don't want his boats or his rockets, we just want to be able to live. People shouldn’t have to work 60 hours a week just to live"
@EvieBreese reports on the first UK Amazon strike in Coventry bigissue.com/news/employment…
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Sadiq Khan says London's private rental sector faces a “ticking timebomb of debt, arrears and widespread evictions” once the freeze ends. There's tension in house shares where some tenants can pay rent and others can't, and now threats of rent strikes. The govt surely has to act
Private tenants in Stoke Newington threaten rent strike as fears of mass evictions grow
bit.ly/2VxSYq6
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Any of the Tory leadership candidates mentioned the housing crisis? bigissue.com/news/housing/so…
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Little Simz tickets for Brixton Academy are going for £11.40 on Twickets. It's a sold-out show.
Surely not many people want this or other events to go ahead at the moment. Industry blaming 'pseudo-lockdown' and demanding support. Unions want furlough back bigissue.com/news/where-on-e…
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How did Hwang and Trincao last so long? Neither of them could keep the ball under pressure and they had zero threat. Shambles all round that was. We’re allergic to the top 6
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Excellent news and a huge relief to thousands of traders
U-turn sees rents scrapped for thousands of railway arch traders hit hard by coronavirus @ArchesGuardians bit.ly/2QNCUOv
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Tonight @jeremycorbyn, @johnmcdonnellMP, shadow transport sec @AndyMcDonaldMP and shadow business sec @RLong_Bailey joined @Meg_HillierMP at the @ArchesGuardians Parliament meeting and backed traders fighting to stop Network Rail selling its arches. See @hackneygazette tomorrow
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Cool idea - @SignatureBrew is launching Pub in a Box, which comes with beer, glasses, beer mats, a record, a pub quiz, a playlist and pub snacks. Musicians who have had tours cancelled have been hired to deliver locally bit.ly/3b2Wa20
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BREAKING: Havering becomes the first British council to support the EU 'Out' campaign after a Ukip motion is passed
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Damning report by @AaronWala and @HarrietClugston that reveals Home Office staff didn't bother turning up to a meeting to discuss the death of Frank Ospina and an 'attempted mass suicide' at its Heathrow immigration detention centre opendemocracy.net/en/frank-o…
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Home Office is accused of trying to rush through Braverman’s armed policing reforms without input from affected groups
review began last month after the Chris Kaba murder charge and aim is to have it done by Christmas
story by @anitamureithii opendemocracy.net/en/home-of…
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"If the police are your only tool, you see every social issue as a crime"
@mowords on the latest anti-social behaviour crackdown from the Tories/Labour opendemocracy.net/en/labour-…
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This would have robbed the borough with the highest rate of child poverty in the country of £40m in community funding huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/r…
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Home Office is evicting hundreds of asylum seekers from a hotel they've lived in for 2 years with 8 days' notice. Forces families to uproot again + many still don't know where they're going
Home Office calls this 'significant progress'
by @anitamureithii opendemocracy.net/en/asylum-…
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Gone but not forgotten
Famous topiary elephant in Finsbury Park loses its head in crash
islingtongazette.co.uk/news/…
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Bereaved families @CovidJusticeUK have been told they can't give evidence during the first part of the Covid inquiry
More important reporting from @RubyJLL opendemocracy.net/en/covid-1…
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Lots of what you hear about the asylum seekers crossing the Channel is probably not true, as @sarah_turnnidge explains in this excellent piece huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/a…
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‘Despite two days of extremely high death tolls, Boris Johnson once again made no reference to fatalities in his press conference’
@sarah_turnnidge looked at the differences in how the country reacted to 2,500+ deaths this week and in early May huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/c…
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"This should be the priority of a new sensible govt when there’s an energy crisis. Not propping up the fossil fuel industry. We’ve had candidates for PM trying to outdo each other in terms of being anti-net zero.
"We’re not the extremists in this story" bigissue.com/news/activism/r…
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Turnout in Islington South and Finsbury is 69.3%, up from 65% in 2015 #Islingtonvotes
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The fossil fuel lobby, an arms firm, a spy-tech company, landlords, right-wing think tanks - all welcomed at the Labour conference this week
@RubyJLL on what she saw in Liverpool opendemocracy.net/en/labour-…
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The Whittington Hospital has set up a crowdfunder to help support its staff fighting the coronavirus pandemic @WhitHealth bit.ly/3aimPbk
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Excellent news after years of campaigning! that is a serious amount of social housing
It's official - the former Holloway Prison site will be at least 42% social rent homes. A massive thank you to everyone who campaigned tirelessly alongside @IslingtonBC
There is no justice without housing justice!
london.gov.uk/press-releases…
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The Famous Cock at Highbury Corner has had a £600k makeover and now has a 1920s jazz bar in the basement...
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Amazing to see this statue happen after a long campaign by @GregFoxsmith and @JackLeslieCamp
Jack Leslie's name should be known, and his story talked about bigissue.com/news/activism/j…
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Big up Jess Brammar. That’s one of the most pathetic pieces of journalism you’ll ever see. Imagine the thought process behind it - the idea, the misogyny, trawling social media, using family pics, finding an anti-racism post and thinking “we’ve got her”, publishing it…
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oh good I can wear my Saturday night fever outfit
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/n…
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Shout out to Ron, 86, from Walsall for brightening my morning with this lovely story. Always nice to hear a thick Black Country accent on national radio an all
There was a really lovely bit on @BBCr4today earlier with Ron talking about how he overcame the loneliness brought on by loss in his life. Very moving. (h/t @paulwaugh)
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Excellent idea...
#GiveaFare: Camden man launches fundraiser asking people working from home to donate money saved by not commuting to those losing income due to coronavirus bit.ly/2TXRBAi
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Another small business being forced out by huge rent increases, this time from @TfL
Len's been in his arch for decades and does important work with young people in the community
Dear @SadiqKhan @MayorofLondon we know how much you appreciate the social, cultural and economic value that #SmallBiz bring to Londoners. Pls read Len's open letter and watch his message. @TfL want a decision this Friday, time is running out. bit.ly/LetsKeepLen #LetsKeepLen
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Stoke Newington station the scene of yet another protest because of racist policing.
Report from @GregBarradale bigissue.com/news/activism/p…
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The DWP is making people submit photos of themselves holding a local paper outside their home to verify their universal credit claims bigissue.com/news/social-jus…
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Back on my old patch to chat to Jeremy Corbyn about the election, Gaza and Keir Starmer
He thinks Labour HQ have made a “cynical calculation” that disaffected voters will still back the party because they have nowhere else to go
Piece for @onlinehyphen hyphenonline.com/2024/06/20/…
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And here they are getting awards for their heroics. Next up @PrideOfBritain…
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Activists at @collectiveactuk have created a map of all the #KillTheBill protests taking place tomorrow bigissue.com/news/activism/k…
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Only 10% of the affordable housing built last year was social housing and almost half the councils in England didn’t build any bigissue.com/news/housing/it…
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'People will be afraid to access services. People will die because of this'
@JasminGray2 spoke to @streetskitchen, @our_MoH and @LGBTIQoutside about the Home Office plan to deport foreign rough sleepers huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/h…
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Proper story this
NEW: The UK's biggest food bank was going under after getting a £30k energy bill
But on Black Friday, the parody Tripe Marketing Board rode to the rescue, discovering an infinite money glitch on Amazon and saving it
Crazy story, w/ @RayFrsa @TripeUK
bigissue.com/news/activism/t…
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Bobby is a class act and he’s doing big things with @HackneyWickFC
Life Stories: Bobby Kasanga
"Football was my life, but my eyes were opened up to gangs. I ended up in prison."
@HackneyWickFC founder Bobby Kasanga tells us his remarkable journey from convict to creator of the first semi-pro football team in Hackney 👏
#BlackHistoryMonth
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Home Office ignored a High Court ruling giving trafficking survivors the right to live in the UK while their asylum claims are assessed and had a secret policy to stall applications
@adambychawski reports 1,500 victims were denied support they were owed opendemocracy.net/en/discret…
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'Get off my neck' – police officer suspended after being filmed kneeling on Black man during arrest in Islington huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/m…
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Excellent interview with Wolverhampton's own @SharmadeanReid, who is doing amazing things in the beauty industry. By @BlackBalladUK CEO @IAmTobiOredein #BBxHuffPostUK huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/s…
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No sign of another 'Everyone In' push from the government this lockdown. Meanwhile thousands of homeless people are on the streets and, with shops closed, there's a lack of the cardboard boxes that are vital for insulation
huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/r…
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So Tesco says these are temporary and will be removed. I've asked what they were put there for... it's being looked into
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Michael was described as a 'larger than life' character by the trust. Sophie was 78 and 'refused to retire'. She had worked in Hackney for more than 50 years after arriving from India to train as a nurse in 1961, aged 16
Sophie Fagan and Michael Allieu: Two more Homerton Hospital workers die after contracting coronavirus bit.ly/2RRm9SK
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'I was furloughed last year but now it’s like our lives don’t matter. We’ve been forgotten about'
A damning piece that goes some way to explaining why that Tube train at Canning Town was packed
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Over 40% of landlords said - in a government survey - they wouldn’t rent their property to someone on benefits. A policy that has been ruled unlawful bigissue.com/news/housing/la…
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Seven (7) years ago I had to watch Dean fucking Saunders get us relegated to League 1. Now we’re scoring worldies in the knockout stages in Europe. What a team #wwfc
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Almost 1 in 5 workers at the IOPC are ex-police, @anitamureithii has found opendemocracy.net/en/iopc-po…
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Good piece about the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and the work by campaigners and @LatinElephant to protect traders - lot of similarities between this and @SaveRidleyRoad
New interview with @LatinElephant puts the demolition of the E&C Shopping Centre in a wider political context, linking the activities of local councils and public bodies to new real estate ventures in London: ow.ly/TbfR50xn8Dp @pablonav1 @chakrabortty @UpTheElephant_
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