News

Reacher author Lee Child: ‘What prisoners write is really interesting. Some are unbelievable’
Lee Child with his latest group in prisons
Prisons

Reacher author Lee Child: ‘What prisoners write is really interesting. Some are unbelievable’

Best known as the author of the Reacher series, Lee Child has been appointed the first-ever prison reading laureate
These 19th-century maps changed poverty in London. Today we have all the information we need to act
Charles Booth's 1889 colour-coded map of poverty in London
Ben Rogers

These 19th-century maps changed poverty in London. Today we have all the information we need to act

I was told I was 'too young' to have Parkinson’s when I applied for a Blue Badge
Joanne Robinson
Joanne Robinson

I was told I was 'too young' to have Parkinson’s when I applied for a Blue Badge

Meet the man whose goal is to fix the UK's faltering prison system with football
Prisons

Meet the man whose goal is to fix the UK's faltering prison system with football

Majority of disabled people would like to exercise more but fear the DWP would cut their benefits
benefits

Majority of disabled people would like to exercise more but fear the DWP would cut their benefits

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
'I’m a councillor. Temporary accommodation costs are forcing me to bring in brutal cuts'
Natalie Thomas
Natalie Thomas

'I’m a councillor. Temporary accommodation costs are forcing me to bring in brutal cuts'

We've been saying for years that prevention is the answer to poverty. People are finally listening
John Bird

We've been saying for years that prevention is the answer to poverty. People are finally listening

'I fell into addiction after my prison sentence. Yoga helped my recovery and now I teach it in prisons'
Prisons

'I fell into addiction after my prison sentence. Yoga helped my recovery and now I teach it in prisons'

Hygiene poverty is the hidden cost-of-living trap. Why we must remove VAT on essentials to address it
a person spraying a creme on to their hands
Michael Gidney

Hygiene poverty is the hidden cost-of-living trap. Why we must remove VAT on essentials to address it

'There have been too many deaths at the hands of the welfare system. It's time to end the violence'
disability benefits protest
China Mills

'There have been too many deaths at the hands of the welfare system. It's time to end the violence'

An academic put trackers on homeless people to see what they could learn. Here's what they did next
University of Roehampton lead researcher Dr Melissa Jogie
Homelessness

An academic put trackers on homeless people to see what they could learn. Here's what they did next

Disability campaigners criticise report proposing PIP cuts: 'Very concerning'
DWP, benefits
Personal Independence Payment

Disability campaigners criticise report proposing PIP cuts: 'Very concerning'

There's a new grant to help musicians build sustainable careers. But there's a catch
A vinyl record next to a number of record sleeves on a shelf
Music

There's a new grant to help musicians build sustainable careers. But there's a catch

There is a taboo around periods and homelessness. It's leaving women sleeping rough on the streets
A homeless women pictured going behind the bins to get some privacy while on her period
Homelessness

There is a taboo around periods and homelessness. It's leaving women sleeping rough on the streets

What Britain can learn from other countries about reducing drug deaths
a syringe
Dr Kamalroop Singh

What Britain can learn from other countries about reducing drug deaths

Can Britain actually afford the real living wage?
Hands holding a piggy bank
Employment

Can Britain actually afford the real living wage?

What counting women sleeping rough in London taught me about Andy Burnham's homelessness promise
a woman sitting on the side of a road
Homelessness

What counting women sleeping rough in London taught me about Andy Burnham's homelessness promise

We spend all our resources propping up the poverty emergency. We should be focused on the cure
Some donated cans at the end of a table
John Bird

We spend all our resources propping up the poverty emergency. We should be focused on the cure

How Big Issue inspired government to bring empty homes back into use
boarded up empty homes
Housing

How Big Issue inspired government to bring empty homes back into use

'I feel a thrill of hope about Andy Burnham's government. I'm not embarrassed to say I cried'
Andy Burnham
Letters

'I feel a thrill of hope about Andy Burnham's government. I'm not embarrassed to say I cried'

We need you! Nominate who you think should be a Big Issue Changemaker in 2027
Some of our 2026 Changemakers.
News

We need you! Nominate who you think should be a Big Issue Changemaker in 2027

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Should renters have a triple lock to cap sky-high rents? Zack Polanski thinks so
Zack Polanski
rent controls

Should renters have a triple lock to cap sky-high rents? Zack Polanski thinks so

Blindboy: 'If I were prime minister I'd stop billionaires buying political power'
PM For The PM

Blindboy: 'If I were prime minister I'd stop billionaires buying political power'

Aberdeen through the eyes of a former homeless person: 'I showed Prince William around the city'
Invisible Cities tour guide showing a tour group a mural by Sheffield artist Phlegm at Holborn Junction, Aberdeen
Travel

Aberdeen through the eyes of a former homeless person: 'I showed Prince William around the city'

The football food van serving up jobs for out-of-work young people
Stuffed Gourmet Trailers food van outside St Mary's Stadium in Southampton
Food

The football food van serving up jobs for out-of-work young people