We are The Lead: an independent, proudly progressive publication committed to covering the UK beyond the Westminster bubble. Our journalism starts with people and place, and follows the thread to the policies that shape our lives.
Decisions made in Parliament are too often treated in the abstract, but we know they affect whether someone’s bus runs on time, their children’s school can afford textbooks, or whether they can see a GP. Our mission is to understand and explain these connections, to show how policy decisions are shaping your lives in real time.
Rebuilding the link between people, place and power
Our award-winning local newsletters across the North of England are rooted in areas to often ignored by national media and abandoned by the decline of local journalism. We tell the stories of places left behind not only by decades of political neglect, but also by the hollowing-out of the press that once held local power to account.
Local news is not a luxury; it’s a pillar of democracy. Without it, misinformation and division spread, local issues get buried, and decisions are made without scrutiny. We want to be part of the fight to rebuild that link between people and power.
Taking a systemic view
Alongside our local coverage, our national team takes a longer view. We reject the notion that politics is just what rumour Westminster is discussing that day. Our national team investigates the systems that shape Britain today and will determine its future. We ask: who makes these decisions, why, and what impact do they have?
We thoughtfully commission longer features, opinion and reporting on climate policy, education, housing, public health, the economy and more: asking the big questions and offering real solutions.
Journalism for now
We are living through an age of permacrisis: a constant state of political chaos, economic instability, and social division. The far-right is on the rise, online disinformation is rife, and faith in politics is at an all-time low. Now is the time for fiercely independent, deeply rooted, fact-driven, and unashamedly progressive journalism.
We see our role not just as observers, but active participants in the fight for a fairer, more democratic society. That means holding the powerful to account, exposing the harm caused by bad policy, but also finding and amplifying solutions. We believe journalism should do more than point out problems; it should help find the way forward.
A constructive friend to power
We approach this Labour government not as cheerleaders, nor cynics. We want to be a constructive friend: telling them when they’re getting it wrong, and encouraging them when they’re getting it right. This means celebrating policies that make people’s lives better, like the Employment Rights Bill, fairer rental protections and mass house building. But we will always speak truth to power when promises fall short.
Our independence means we answer to no political party and no corporate interest. We answer only to our readers and our values.
Why The Lead matters
We know you care deeply about your community, environment, health, family and future. We share those concerns, and we know that to protect those things we have to look beyond the drama of the Westminster stage and into the places where politics actually happens: on the high street, in schools, in hospitals and in homes across the UK.
With your support, The Lead team will keep asking the questions that matter, telling the stories that need to be told, and holding power to account, wherever it sits.
Natalie, Zoë, Ella, Luke, Ed & Padraig
The team
National Editor: Natalie Morris is a journalist, podcast host, and the author of Mixed/Other - covering stories concerning social justice, inequality, lifestyle, health and wellbeing, and everything in-between. Mancunian living in London. Contact natalie@thelead.uk
Westminster Editor: Zoë Grünewald is a freelance political journalist and broadcaster. Forged in West Yorkshire she has worked in and around Westminster for five years, starting her career as a parliamentary clerk before entering journalism. Zoë worked as a policy and politics reporter at the New Statesman, before joining The Independent as a political correspondent. When not writing about politics and policy for various outlets, she is a regular commentator on TV and radio and a panellist on the Oh God What Now podcast. Contact zoe@thelead.uk
Social Media Editor: Ella Glover is a freelance journalist reporting on worker’s rights, housing, health, harm reduction and lifestyle. You can find her work in Prospect Magazine, Dazed, Observer Magazine, Women’s Health and - most importantly - here at The Lead where she curates and publishes across our social media channels and regularly authors our The Lead Untangles and Reform Watch features. Contact ella@thelead.uk
Senior Editor, Lead North. Luke Beardsworth heads up our award-winning Lead North titles leading our coverage in Blackpool and Lancashire and working closely with Jamie Lopez in Southport, Leigh Jones in Teesside and Andrew Greaves in Calderdale. Contact luke@thelead.uk
Managing Editor: Ed Walker. Overseeing our titles nationally and in the North, Ed brings a wealth of experience from senior editorial management roles throughout his career. Based in Preston he is a trailblazing journalist who also runs one of the UK’s leading independent local news websites. Contact ed@thelead.uk
Editor-at-Large: Padraig Reidy is editor-at-large of The Lead. He also writes the culture newsletter What Fresh Hell? Contact padraig@thelead.uk
Find us on socials
We don’t just publish on Substack, you can also follow The Lead on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok.
You can find our full archive on the old The Lead website.
Company Information
The Lead is published by The Lead Newspapers Limited, company number 11736030.
We are a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact ed@thelead.uk. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk.
