Taj Ali

4 weeks ago | hyphenonline.com | Taj Ali

Last week, I was talking to my friend Matthew about the Labour government’s plan to preside over the most devastating cuts to disability benefits on record. His mother has progressive multiple sclerosis and receives a personal independence payment (Pip) of £72.65 per week. On 18 March, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall told parliament of the government’s intention to slash £5bn a year from the benefits system by 2030.

1 month ago | hyphenonline.com | Taj Ali

“Things will get worse before they get better,” declared Prime Minister Keir Starmer in an address to the nation in August 2024. He wasn’t lying about the first part and the jury is out on the second. Labour’s net approval rating now stands at -54%. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, meanwhile, is topping the polls at 27%, according to recent YouGov figures. The warning signs were already there.

2 months ago | hyphenonline.com | Taj Ali

Question: what do you get when you cross an administrator, a counsellor, a psychologist, a social worker and, occasionally, a stand-in parent? Answer: the role performed by the average UK teacher on top of their already demanding educational duties. One moment they are preparing students for exams, the next they are supporting those with complex emotional needs and addressing safeguarding issues. For all that, teachers receive little recognition and even less reward.

Nov 20, 2024 | hyphenonline.com | Taj Ali

A few days ago, I visited Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Known affectionately as the Curry Mile, this vibrant street has been a hub of South Asian life since the 1950s, when South Asian workers from the nearby mills and factories used it as a meeting place to grab a bite to eat after their shifts. Today, one in five Mancunians are of Asian heritage — a total of 115,000 people. Across the UK, South Asians number around 5 million people.

Oct 31, 2024 | hyphenonline.com | Taj Ali

“Ask yourself this: are you and your family better off than you were 13 years ago?” That was the question Rachel Reeves posed to an audience while visiting an east London factory in January 2023. The then shadow chancellor was deploying a famous rhetorical tactic widely first attributed to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 US presidential election but, more than 40 years later, her words landed perfectly.