A nation on strike

On February 1, hundreds of thousands of people walked out of workplaces across Britain. They’d had enough. As the cost of living pushes them to the brink and real-terms pay cuts continue to bite, people from an ever-widening range of industries are taking action. This week, we look at how it has come to this. And what comes next…

Air pollution

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah died on February 15, 2013, aged 9, from a severe asthma attack. She is, to date, the only person to have air pollution listed as their official cause of death, attributed to the high levels of pollutants in Lewisham, South London, where her family lived. As the anniversary approaches we hear how her mother Rosamund is battling to save the lives of other children.

Also inside

• Why pay rises don’t actually increase inflation, despite what the government says

• How locals are fighting to stop betting shops turning their town into the Las Vegas of Lincolnshire

• After bad hair days and a belated realisation that she was clever, a chance meeting led Tracy-Ann Oberman to a busy, fulfilling acting career

• Jack Lowden gives the lowdown on his new crime drama The Gold

• And our vendor Viana shares how she’s overcoming prejudice to make a better life for her family

Plus much more!

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