The Lead in 2025 – some of our favourite stories (part 2)
As the year draws to a close we bring together some stories you may have missed this year.
As we start winding down to the end of the year, we’re taking the opportunity to look back over everything we have covered in 2025. From culture wars to dodgy pubs, medical scandals to patriotic bots – here are the stories our editors have picked out as some their favourite by The Lead’s writers this year…
When Reform swept to victory in the local elections this May, covering the rise of the far right became a concrete priority. Ella Glover took a revelatory trip to her hometown of St Helens, Merseyside, along with videographer Sam Thompson, to find out where people stood politically. This is one of her favourite stories she’s worked on this year.
On the streets of St Helens, would Reform win?
For many, the name St Helens carries echoes of a roaring rugby league crowd, cheering on one of the top Super League teams in the world. Or, more recently, the success of darts superstar Luke Littler, who trained at the St Helens Darts Academy before becoming the youngest world champion in the history of the game. St Helens is a post-industrial town in Merseyside (formerly Lancashire). Once a significant town for coal mining, and then glass manufacturing, St Helens is better known for its sporting success and good pies.
Paying subscribers can scroll to the bottom of the page to watch the full video report.
Ella also got in front of the camera for a deep dive into the broken council tax system. Wandering around the billion-pound mansions of Chelsea and Kensington made this report feel all the more urgent.
Our Westminster Editor Zoë Grünewald loved this piece from Fred Garratt Stanley because it captures something quietly disappearing from British life: the simple joy of a proper night out. From Brighton to Leicester, it’s a warm, clear-eyed look at what happens when we lose dancing and why it still matters.
From Brighton to Leicester: Where do people go for a good night out these days?
Spirits are high at the Fortune of War. Pride flag bunting and glowing bulbs streak across the night sky while Saturday night revellers are pulled to the dance floor by salsa grooves mixed with funky house and the occasional soul record. The rhythms are infectious, and tonight’s Afro Latin Express is just one of countless free events held at this iconic seafront venue throughout the summer.
National Editor Natalie Morris, is looking back at an exclusive from our team at The Lead North, with the revelations about the horrifying conditions inside the Metropole asylum hotel in Blackpool. A whistleblower shared their pictures of the building’s state of disrepair, a story which got lots of national interest and really showed the value of our local reporting.
Whistleblower reveals horrifying reality of Blackpool asylum hotel – from collapsing ceilings to raw sewage
Asylum seekers in Blackpool are living in appalling, squalid conditions in the neglected Metropole Hotel, according to explosive revelations from a whistleblower.
She’s also highlighting this sobering and important read from the brilliant Alex Bollen – a researcher, author and expert in maternal care. In light of yet more reports this year about our crumbling maternity services, Alex explains how the NHS is failing new mothers at every turn.
Birth trauma: How maternity care is failing women
Maternity care is increasingly unsafe. As well as the risk of physical trauma, mothers are being belittled, ignored and pressured at every turn. Alex Bollen explores how women are being set up to feel like failures…
Thanks for reading part two of our favourite stories of 2025 at The Lead. If you enjoyed it, share it with your friends, family and colleagues to help us reach more people with our independent journalism, always with a focus on people, policy and place.
For more of our top picks of the year, listen to our latest podcast episode. National Editor Natalie Morris, Westminster Editor Zoë Grünewald and Editor of The Lead North Luke Beardsworth recorded a special edition podcast discussing their favourite stories of 2025, everything from the hidden racial disparity at the heart of the child poverty crisis to our suggestions for how Rachel Reeves should shape up the public purse.
In Conversation with The Lead Editors
As we approach the end of the year, we’re bringing you a special edition podcast episode – that’s free for all of our readers to listen to.