A Christmas message from The Lead
Tis the season for rest, restoration, and hope.
From all of us at The Lead, Merry Christmas! And a heartfelt thank you to our readers and subscribers – we wouldn’t be here without you. What a year it’s been.
Back in January, we challenged Keir Starmer’s then-fledgling Labour government to hold its nerve and plough ahead. We knew 2025 would hold immense challenges, but it was also ripe with opportunity. This was Labour’s moment to sharpen its vision, clarify its message, and show bold leadership on the issues that matter to people’s everyday lives.
So, where are we now?
The past 12 months have been tougher than many predicted. There have been highs and lows – muddled messaging, watered-down policies, and frustrating hesitations at key moments. But this year also gave us glimpses of what better government could look like – and that gives us hope.
The long-anticipated child poverty strategy marked a genuine turning point, with the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap immediately lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.
Labour has extended free childcare support, helping working families with expanded 30-hour free childcare for under-fours – a big step in easing costs for parents and boosting early years access.
There has been progress toward fixing our unfair council tax system too, with plans for a high-value property surcharge (the so-called mansion tax) that aims to make local taxation fairer and raise revenue for essential public services.
These moments don’t erase the challenges ahead, but they remind us why it matters to keep pushing for better.
Hope is something we will be holding on to with both hands here at The Lead. In January, we will be returning with the launch of a new series that will give us all more reasons to feel optimistic, cutting through the pervasive sense of disillusionment and apathy that can easily take hold in the bleak midwinter months.
But before we rush ahead of ourselves to 2026, let’s take this moment to rest, reset and restore. And what better way to do that than with a comfort scroll through some of our brightest, most hopeful reads of the year. Take some time between wrapping presents and watching Father Ted to have a look back over some of these inspiring reads.
Our most hopeful reads of 2025
“I’m now at a stage in my life where I want to give something back.”
Volunteers in Scotland are rolling up their sleeves to preserve a beloved mountain – making sure it’s safe and welcoming for people and wildlife alike.
The fight to save Scotland's crumbling mountain paths
Climbing up An Teallach, it’s easy to see why the mountain is often hailed as among the most spectacular in Britain. Even from its lower slopes, the hillside offers stunning views along Little Loch Broom and across Wester Ross, the area lying to the north-west of Inverness, the Highland…
“These projects create sustainable, long-term benefits.”
The Whalley Community Hydro scheme shows what happens when a community harnesses its own river to tackle energy challenges, and creates something brilliant in the process.
A river is keeping a local school's lights on – is this a community solution to Britain's energy crisis?
Nestled in the Ribble Valley - consistently ranked as one of the UK’s best places to live - is Whalley, a large village built around the banks of the River Calder. And the community-based hydro scheme constantly turning in that river could be part of making the country a more …
“The most effective way to prevent homelessness rising further.”
A simple policy solution that could make a huge difference in tackling the homelessness crisis – the campaigners behind it explain why it matters.
The Lead Untangles: Is there a simple solution to the homelessness crisis?
The Lead Untangles is delivered via email every week by The Lead and focuses on a different complex, divisive issue with each edition. The entirety of The Lead Untangles will always be free for all subscribers.
“We won a national journalism award – and it belongs to you.”
This year The Lead North was named Best Specialist/Regional Newsletter at the Press Gazette Future of Media Awards – a huge recognition of local reporting that’s digging deeper, challenging power and telling stories mainstream media too often misses. We’re proud, grateful and excited to do even more in 2026.
From everyone on the team – thank you for being here. Rest up, enjoy the festive season, and see you in January with more hope, clarity, and coverage of the issues that matter to you.
Merry Christmas and here’s to a brighter 2026.
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