Alex Firth

A *third* of the Commons has called on the PM to recognise Palestine as a state. Never seen anything quite like this.

The UK helped start this, from the Balfour Declaration to the colonial carve-up under the British Mandate.

Recognition of Palestine would send a powerful signal. It’s time to right historic wrongs.
www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/202...

UK, France and 23 other nations condemn Israel over 'inhumane killing' of civilians A group of 25 Western countries including Britain, France, and Canada said on Monday Israel must immediately end its war in Gaza and criticised what they called the "inhumane killing" of Palestinians, including hundreds near food distribution sites.

As well as issuing statements, the UK government must end military support for Israel, suspend all arms sales, recognise Palestine, and impose sanctions on Israel's leaders and economy.

This kind of pressure is the only language Netanyahu understands.

Children in England ‘living in almost Dickensian levels of poverty’ Children’s commissioner says any Labour strategy to tackle deprivation must scrap the two-child benefit cap

Children in England are living in “almost Dickensian levels of poverty” where deprivation has become normalised, the children’s commissioner has said, as she insisted the two-child benefit limit must be scrapped.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

In the UK people seeking asylum are banned from working and receive just £49.18 a week to live on.

If the Home Office is concerned about illegal employment they could easily fix this issue by allowing them to work. Then they could contribute to society and support themselves.

NEW: The government has delayed the implementation of the welfare reforms.

They were due to come into effect in November 2026. They will now come into effect after the conclusion of a review by Stephen Timms.

The contentious four-point rule has reportedly been entirely removed from tonight’s bill.

Did Labour just abandon its promise for a fairer asylum system? Labour once talked about breaking from the past and rebuilding trust in the asylum system. Now it appears to be moving in the wrong direction.

🏚️ The UK could fix its asylum system: safe housing, the right to work, access to education.

Instead, we see tougher rhetoric and harsher policies. We see more of the same punitive approach that has already failed.

Our joint op-ed with @hrw.org in the Big Issue
www.bigissue.com/opinion/labo...

Did Labour just abandon its promise for a fairer asylum system? Labour once talked about breaking from the past and rebuilding trust in the asylum system. Now it appears to be moving in the wrong direction.

Labour pledged a fairer asylum system. Instead, families remain in unsafe hotels, children miss school, and basic rights are ignored.

The new immigration white paper doubles down on deterrence over dignity. We must do better.
www.bigissue.com/opinion/labo...

"Children Living in Temporary Accommodation: An Absolute Scandal" Report - Shared Health Foundation Download the report Temporary accommodation is increasingly becoming a children’s rights problem in the UK, with over 165,000 children across England experiencing homelessness. A report, published by ...

🏚️ Today @sharedhealthgm.bsky.social has launched an excellent new report on homeless children living in temporary accommodation and how this violates their everyday rights.

Housing is a human right, it's time to treat it that way.
sharedhealthfoundation.org.uk/publications...

The UK is failing on hunger — Labour must put the right to food into law Writing for The Mirror, Labour MP Ian Byrne and Just Fair's Alex Firth call on the Government to act to tackle demand on food banks

🍽️ Today is World Hunger Day.

In a wealthy country like the UK, no one should be going hungry, however recent food bank figures show that countless people are struggling. It's time the right to food in law.

🖋️ @ianbyrnemp.bsky.social & @alexwfirth.bsky.social write
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

No 10 delays child poverty strategy with tens of thousands more facing hardship Exclusive: Flagship policy put back until at least autumn amid fears cost of removing two-child benefit cap will outweigh political benefit

The two child limit policy pulls around 100 children into poverty every day in the UK.

They cannot afford for this delay.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The UK is failing on hunger — Labour must put the right to food into law Writing for The Mirror, Labour MP Ian Byrne and Just Fair's Alex Firth call on the Government to act to tackle demand on food banks

Every 11 seconds, a food parcel. Every 11 seconds, a failure of government.

In a wealthy country, no one should go hungry. It's time for Labour to enshrine the right to food into UK law.

My piece with @ianbyrnemp.bsky.social
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

The UK is failing on hunger — Labour must put the right to food into law Writing for The Mirror, Labour MP Ian Byrne and Just Fair's Alex Firth call on the Government to act to tackle demand on food banks

🚨 New food bank figures are a wake-up call: hunger is a human rights failure.

In a wealthy country, no one should go hungry. It's time for Labour to enshrine the right to food into UK law.

🖋️ @ianbyrnemp.bsky.social & @alexwfirth.bsky.social write:

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

500 homes to be given to homeless under Sadiq Khan's plan to eradicate rough sleeping Woman breaks down in tears in front of mayor as she tells of the terror of being forced to live on the streets and wait for help

500 homes is a great start, we have 38,000 empty homes in London though and need to bring all of these back into use!

I also want to understand why it will take 3 years to change a rule that delays support & puts people at risk...

www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

📜 Today is the 49th anniversary of the UK ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
These are our everyday human rights– such as food, housing, work, social security, education, and healthcare. 🍽️🏡🧑‍🏭💷📚🏥

UK’s 50 richest families hold more wealth than 50% of population, analysis finds Equality Trust says billionaires getting ‘ludicrously’ richer, with top two now wealthier than whole of 1990 rich list The number of billionaires in the UK has grown sharply – from 15 in 1990 to 165 in 2024 – at the same time as inequality in the UK’s overall wealth distribution has dramatically increased, analysis has found. Timed to coincide with the Sunday Times’ rich list, the Equality Trust’s investigation also found that billionaires have become “ludicrously” more wealthy, with their average wealth skyrocketing by more than 1,000% over the same period. Continue reading...

UK’s 50 richest families hold more wealth than 50% of population, analysis finds

Record-high child homelessness should be a turning point for Labour | Just Fair This article was orginally published in Labour List. Today’s newly released government statistics confirm a national scandal: more people than ever are trapped in temporary accommodation. In England there are now over 127,890  households without a permanent home — a record high, and a damning reflection of years of policy failure. That includes 165,510 children. […]

🚨 The UK Government has released the latest homelessness statistics. There is now a record 164,000 homeless children living in temporary accommodation in England — enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly twice.

@alexwfirth.bsky.social for Labour List

justfair.org.uk/reco...

Whisper it, but Angela Rayner could be Labour's Heineken candidate as Starmer falters There was a telling moment at last week’s PMQs. After Keir Starmer declared that Plaid Cymru leader Liz Saville Roberts was talking “rubbish” – she asked if there was any belief that he held for more ...

Why Angela Rayner is winning Labour’s unspoken leadership contest – my column for the Evening Standard. www.standard.co.uk/comment/ange...

Unless the two-child limit is scrapped in the forthcoming child poverty strategy, more and more children across the UK will see their potential - in and outside the school gates - stunted by poverty.

Unless the two-child limit is scrapped in the forthcoming child poverty strategy, more and more children across the UK will see their potential - in and outside the school gates - stunted by poverty.

Does human rights law really stop the UK controlling migration? No – and Keir Starmer knows that | Jamie Burton It would be wrong for Labour to collude in the attack on the European convention. It’s fuelled by myths and false narratives, says human rights barrister Jamie Burton

Important piece from Jamie Burton, Chair of Just Fair: if Labour won’t stand firm on human rights, what does it stand for? Silence on migrant rights isn’t neutral — it’s dangerous.

🔗 theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/03/human-rights-labour-migration-labour-european-convention-on-human-rights

🚸 New gov stats: child homelessness in temporary accommodation hits a record high. If these children lived in one place, it would outsize Oxford or Blackpool. This is a national scandal and Labour must take action.

My piece for @labourlist.bsky.social
labourlist.org/2025/05/chil...

'Record-high child homelessness should be a turning point for Labour' - LabourList The era of blaming the Tories is over. The public will now be looking to Labour to not just express concern — but to deliver.

🏚️ The UN has criticised the UK for prolonged use of inadequate temporary accommodation. Today’s figures show why: over 164,000 children are now trapped in limbo. The housing emergency is a human rights emergency.

@alexwfirth.bsky.social for @labourlist.bsky.social
labourlist.org/2025/05/chil...

🚨 The UK government has just released the latest homelessness statistics.

There is now a record 164,000 homeless children living in temporary accommodation in England — enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly twice.

This is the first data release under Labour. The era of blaming the Tories is over.

UK Parliament recalled tomorrow for emergency debate on the future of British Steel.

Must be permanent nationalisation, not temporary where public purse nurses the company and it is then sold to private sector.

Need industrial strategy: Can't rescue steel/others without controlling energy costs.

📆 This week is the 8th anniversary of the implementation of the two-child limit.

Listen to what the UN Special Rapporteur on poverty, Olivier De Schutter, had to say about child poverty, and how it’s the best investment a country can make in its future.

Since Labour took office, 30,000 more children have been pushed into poverty by the two-child benefit cap.

That’s 109 kids every single day.

The Labour whip was taken from me for voting to scrap it.

I’d do it again — no child should grow up in poverty to satisfy a spreadsheet.

The 15 years of the Child Poverty Act have been wasted It's 15 years since ministers pledged to end child poverty. Now it's surging

🧒 After 15 years of broken promises, the UK Government must act. The last Labour Government showed that huge reductions in child poverty are possible – when the political will is there. Child poverty in the UK is not inevitable – it's a political choice.
bigissue.com/opinion/chil...

📢 Want to learn how to engage effectively with the UN? Join us for "Engaging with the United Nations"

This session will equip civil society with the tools to amplify their voices and influence international human rights mechanisms.

📅 Date: 25 April
🔗 Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/engaging-w...

Breaking news - government sleight of hand over poverty figures.

Actual increase in poverty from their cuts to health related benefits is closer to 400,000 📢

Welfare Cuts Will Push 250,000 People Into Poverty, Says Government Impact Assessment Labour’s welfare reforms will see an additional 250,000 people – including 50,000 children – pushed into relative poverty, government analysis has ...

250,000 people — including 50,000 children — will be pushed into relative poverty by welfare reforms, according to a newly published government impact assessment

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said she'd vote against the measures, saying: "No Labour MP should be voting to push children into poverty"