Isabella McRae

This is how it feels to be a disabled woman desexualised by the world In her book The View From Down Here, Lucy Webster argues that for disabled women, there is an additional battle to be seen as women at all.

Great to commission this from @lucywebster.bsky.social – an extract from her book The View From Down Here which is out in paperback today.

www.bigissue.com/opinion/disa...

Haunted houses are a classic horror trope – but are they scarier than landlords? Haunted houses have appeared in Gothic literature and horror films for centuries. We look into how the trope has changed in the modern day.

Liquid drips through the walls. Black mould creeps around the windows towards my bed. I hear screaming from downstairs. Rodents sneak out of the floorboards. A strange man lets himself into my home unasked.

Is this a haunted house or my first London flat? Find out:

www.bigissue.com/news/housing...

Teen scholar trapped in Gaza after being blocked from joining her mum in UK Dania Alafranji and her mother been separated by the war in Gaza and the UK government policy is blocking them from being reunited.

Dania, 16, is trapped in Gaza and separated from her mother – who is a UK resident through marriage.

Dania has been awarded a scholarship to a British boarding school - renewing hope that they might be reunited. But UK government policy is blocking this

www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

This is what it's really like living in a haunted house Haunted houses often stay on the market for longer and sell at a cheaper price than other homes, but would you dare tread on a ghost's territory?

“Landlords can be worse than poltergeists. I would rather live in a haunted house than with a dodgy landlord.”

Meet the people who live in haunted houses – and the ghost hunters who track them down 👻

www.bigissue.com/news/housing...

People with learning disabilities are dying 20 years early The latest LeDeR report found that nearly four in 10 deaths of people with a learning disability in 2023 were ‘avoidable’.

Shocking and eye-opening @bigissue.com story from @isabellamcrae.bsky.social

Whose lives - and deaths - matter?

www.bigissue.com/life/health/...

Abortion is close to decriminalisation. But how quickly can rights be rolled back? More than 100 women are believed to have been arrested on suspicion of abortion over the last five years in England and Wales.

Hi 👋 It’s @isabellamcrae.bsky.social, senior reporter at the Big Issue here.

This week, we have published a series of articles about abortion rights in the UK 🪧

Abortion is one step closer to decriminalisation in England and Wales, but are rights still at risk?

www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

What is the truth about crisis pregnancy centres in the UK? Crisis pregnancy centres which have been known to “misinform” women around abortion have become increasingly “professionalised” in the UK.

There are pregnancy advice centres across the UK which claim to offer ethical, impartial services.

But some are actively misinforming women about abortion. Some women have been left "traumatised".

I've been investigating this phenomenon. Read it here ⬇️

www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Abortion is close to decriminalisation. But how quickly can rights be rolled back? More than 100 women are believed to have been arrested on suspicion of abortion over the last five years in England and Wales.

I've spent a few months working on a series of articles on abortion rights in the UK. The first piece is out today.

Abortion is a step closer to decriminalisation in England and Wales, but with the rise of right-wing rhetoric, are rights still at risk?

www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Taylor Swift is right to call herself an 'English teacher'. I would know, I am one Clio Doyle, a lecturer in English at Queen Mary University who teaches students about Taylor Swift's music, writes about the power of lyrics.

Also great to commission this from Clio Doyle, lecturer in English at Queen Mary University, who teaches students about Taylor Swift's music. She writes about the power of the pop icon's lyrics to connect fans together

www.bigissue.com/opinion/tayl...

Is the life of a showgirl as glamorous as Taylor Swift makes it seem? Ahead of the release of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, the Big Issue spoke to British 'showgirls' about the glamour of their world.

In honour of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl coming out today, I've been speaking to 'showgirls' in Britain about the glamour of their world 💃

www.bigissue.com/culture/musi...

This 'life-changing' project is transforming the bedrooms of children living in poverty Children living in poverty in London are having their bedrooms transformed through this project run by The Childhood Trust.

I spent a wonderful few hours at this family's home where interior designers were transforming a three-year-old girl's bedroom. The results were pretty incredible and the reaction was even better:

www.bigissue.com/news/housing...

Meet the primary school children with big ideas to end homelessness These children are trying to raise £18,000 for homelessness charities, an amount they have calculated would help one person off the streets.

I adored visiting this school in East London and meeting these kids who made me feel very hopeful about the future!

They're on a mission to raise £18,000 for homelessness charities, and they're learning a huge amount in the process.

www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

International students could be put in 'danger' by Home Office crackdown on asylum claims The Home Office has pledged to crack down on the number of students overstaying their visa after graduating

"I was an asylum seeker, and when I got to university, it changed everything. I have hope for the future"

I spoke with students and experts about the potential dangers of the Home Office's plans to crack down on international students claiming asylum

www.bigissue.com/news/interna...

Gangs are taking over vulnerable people's homes and using them as drug dens The Big Issue shadowed the police officers trying to tackle cuckooing in Camden and Islington, where they have brought down the numbers.

A lovely surprise to come back from annual leave to find out a story I did on cuckooing has been shortlisted for best news story at the Anti-Slavery Day Awards! Thank you to the Human Trafficking Foundation

www.humantraffickingfoundation.org/antislavery-...

www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Tenants left homeless with no possessions after unsafe building collapses Glasgow council declared it a dangerous building, but delays and costs meant it was still standing in July 2025 – until its collapse.

Glasgow City Council confirmed to me it had known this was a dangerous building for years. But costs and the fact the building was listed led to delays. Its collapse in July left residents homeless, their lives uprooted, and feeling lucky that no one was hurt

www.bigissue.com/news/housing...

Are you a first time buyer with a Lifetime ISA (LISA) or Help to Buy ISA facing challenges? Are you struggling to find a place to live because the cap on properties hasn't gone up with house prices? I want to hear from you for a piece for the Big Issue! #journorequest

Politico text around how Maskell has urged Starmer to reflect on the culture that has developed in Labour ranks.

Also great to see this picked up by Politico this morning:

Rachael Maskell: 'If Labour doesn't change, I fear where this country is headed' Rachael Maskell speaks to the Big Issue about losing the Labour whip, and why she stands by her decision to rebel against the welfare cuts.

I interviewed MP @rachaelmaskell.bsky.social about her suspension from Labour, her fear's for the party's future and what needs to change to move the country in a positive direction

www.bigissue.com/news/politic...

It's harder to be healthy if you live in the North of England Professor Amelia Lake, dietitian and public health nutritionist at Teesside University, writes about health inequalities facing the North.

Thanks to @isabellamcrae.bsky.social for the opportunity of a @bigissue.com comment piece, authored by @lakenutrition.bsky.social and other Nutrition North members - you can read about why it's harder to be healthier in the North at
www.bigissue.com/opinion/heal...

Photographer Misan Harriman on Black Lives Matter, Gaza and finding hope in protest Renowned photographer Misan Harriman has unveiled his first solo exhibition 'The Purpose of Light' featuring images of protest and resistance.

Misan Harriman's career was catapulted after his photographs of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations caught widespread attention. He became the first black man to shoot the cover of British Vogue.

It was powerful to speak to him about protest and resistance

www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

Access All: Disability News and Mental Health - Controversial benefits change passes Commons - BBC Sounds Access All: MPs vote in controversial benefits change

In the aftermath of the vote on the welfare bill last night, I spoke to the BBC's Access All podcast ‪about what it means going forward for disabled people – and the devastating impact this last year of uncertainty has had

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Amazing campaign. We can't rely on leaders, only people can make the changes needed happen.🔻

Whatever happened to Make Poverty History? Make Poverty History blazed a trail in reducing poverty across the world. But now progress is heading backwards so where do we go from here?

I wrote about the extraordinary campaign that was Make Poverty History. Hundreds of thousands of people across the UK joined the calls to end poverty 20 years ago – so what would it take for that to happen again?

www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

Here's why 49 rebel Labour MPs voted against the government's welfare bill Rebel Labour MPs explain to the Big Issue why they could not "in good conscience" vote for the disability benefit cuts in the welfare bill.

I spoke to @isabellamcrae.bsky.social from the @bigissue.com about why I could not vote for the Welfare Bill last night 👇

www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/why-labour-mps-voted-against-disability-benefit-cuts/

Thousands of children find hope in tent schools in Gaza Teacher Ahmed Abu Riziq decided he wanted to help children in Gaza, so he set up schools in tents. They try to make the children smile.

This is an incredible feat. Ahmed is a 29-year-old teacher living in Gaza who, despite the horror his own family faced, decided he had to do something to help children.

He set up schools in tents and his team now teach 3,000 kids – giving them hope beyond conflict

www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Majority of PIP claimants with heart disease, arthritis and Crohn's at risk of cuts DWP data obtained by Big Issue shows that the majority of people with heart failure, HIV and arthritis are at risk of losing their benefits.

The government argues its PIP cuts won't hit as many people as feared because applicants will appeal against rejections

But DWP figures show a ten-month average wait for appeals. And that's before demand rises with the cuts

By me, for Big Issue:
www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

The story behind our special edition created entirely by young people This is the story behind the Big Issue's Young Team Takeover – a special edition created entirely by young people.

This week's Big Issue is very special. It was created entirely by a group of teenagers.

It was lovely to be so involved in this project – to hear their stories and dreams and help make that a reality in the magazine.

www.bigissue.com/opinion/youn...

MPs vote to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales There was an impassioned debate on assisted dying ahead of the vote which will see MP Kim Leadbeater's bill taken to the next stage.

I've been watching the debate on assisted dying closely this morning. MPs have just voted in favour of legalising the bill, with a majority of 23 votes.

It will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny

www.bigissue.com/life/health/...

Asylum seekers share their dreams for future: 'I want my children to have a safe life' The Big Issue speaks to four people supported by charity Oasis about what life is like for asylum seekers and refugees in Wales.

An absolute privilege to speak with Sammi, Navid, Mortza and Roozbeh about their experience being refugees and asylum seekers in Cardiff. They love Wales!

www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

This afternoon tea is made and served by people with learning disabilities We attended an afternoon tea made and served entirely by people with learning disabilities at the Hilton, which is offering work experience.

A lot of employers could learn something from this scheme at Hilton, which is offering work experience and job roles to people with learning disabilities.

It was great to attend their celebration afternoon tea earlier this week 🍰 and you can book to go on 2 July!

www.bigissue.com/news/employm...