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Lord Bird’s Office

Lord Bird’s Office

Taking the fight to end poverty into Parliament

Life

John Bird MBE, Founder and Editor in Chief of The Big Issue, entered the House of Lords as a Crossbench peer in 2016.  Lord Bird’s appointment was based on his extensive life experience, which includes growing up as an orphan in a disadvantaged area, struggling with illiteracy, experiencing homelessness, and even facing imprisonment as a young offender. Through his remarkable journey of personal transformation as a pioneering social entrepreneur, John has become an inspiration to many.

John Bird in 1991 with Anita Rodick and Sheila McKechnie

Mission

Lord Bird serves as a prominent advocate for addressing homelessness and poverty within the House of Lords. He firmly believes that the intricacies of the political system and contemporary policies often exclude the most insightful thinkers. To achieve social opportunity and justice for all, he emphasises the need for a paradigm shift in conventional thinking and approaches.

Work

Lord Bird’s office works in conjunction with the Big Issue Group, within the parliamentary and political realm, to drive forward their ambitious poverty-busting agenda. Alongside John, the team lead on engagement with elected representatives, government, and external partners to raise awareness of the impact of poverty, influence policymaking and legislation with the goal of seeing the millions of households in the UK facing destitution lifted out of poverty.

You can contact Lord Bird’s office at publicaffairs@bigissue.com

Our Work

End No-Fault Evictions

End No-Fault Evictions

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Big Futures
A group of Big Issue vendors and Lord Bird walk arm in arm on their way back from 10 Downing Street

Big Futures

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Ministry of Poverty Prevention
John Bird holding a sign that reads Demand a Better Future

Ministry of Poverty Prevention

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