Alan White

Why can’t we see how much is being spent by private healthcare companies to push for NHS reform, why can’t we see which companies thought the Work Programme was a good idea?

Take a look at the institutions to which, if Francis Maude gets his way, the Government will be outsourcing policy. Does it seem sensible to you?

The battle over outsourcing for Suffolk’s community health services in Sudbury is a warning for the rest of the country - the future of the NHS is going to be fragmented.

The agency that's caused so much misery and cruelty is to be restructured, but without proper resources its successor won't be able to avoid the same mistakes.

As the case of "Dora", a young woman who either committed a minor crime or made a mistake, shows - people from deprived backgrounds have an entirely different experience of custody than people like Chris Huhne or Vicky Pryce.

From the BNP leader's praise for Dark Side of the Moon to the Labour MP's Twitter spat with Frankie Boyle, we're being reminded that our politicians are humans.

Evidence suggests that the Coalition's approach is making things worse, not better, for our children.

Renting is the new normal, but for many it means no security and a constant risk of exploitation.

One woman with Crohn's told to work in a nappy; another with 90 per cent burns declared fit to work. No wonder the Work Capability Assessment, administered by Atos, has been declared "unfit for purpose".

I don’t believe that our political class – nor indeed much of our media class – actually have any understanding of what poverty really is: an agonising, life-wrecking tragedy.

You probably feel guilty when you see a homeless person, but don't know what to do for the best. Now, you can call Streetlink and they will work with local services to get the person off the street and into accommodation.

Contractors like Serco, G4S and Clearel have become "too big to fail", while it's taxpayers' money they're consuming.

Local authorities are now empowered to place homeless people in private rented accommodation, meaning they can be forced out of our cities.

A system designed for men cannot cope.