The Lead's best bits of 2025 so far
Our editors share their top picks and favourite stories for you to enjoy this Easter weekend.
Welcome to our Easter weekend edition of The Lead, and while we’re all busy eating roast dinners, searching for chocolate eggs, and spending time with family, we thought this was the perfect time to look back at our best bits of the year so far.
From conspiracy theory deep dives, to neglected social housing stock, a shocking wrongful imprisonment, to the truth about who is paying the most council tax – these stories illustrate exactly who we are and what we care about at The Lead.
Natalie’s picks:
Adam Bychawski’s harrowing report of the innocent man wrongly jailed for 13 years is the kind of story that should have made national headlines – only it didn’t. Why? Well maybe because the victim here is a Black immigrant. Too often, scandals and injustices only garner coverage and public support if the victims look a certain way, or there’s a slick Netflix or ITV production outlining exactly why we should care. But Adan’s story deserves to be heard and the many victims like him (only 39 of 591 applicants to the Ministry of Justice’s compensation scheme have been successful in the last eight years) deserve justice.
The Black refugee wrongly imprisoned for 13 years – now the fight for compensation
Ahmed Adan had always maintained his innocence, but justice moved painfully slowly. It took seventeen years – thirteen of which he spent in detention – before fresh DNA evidence led to his conviction being quashed.
Alex Bollen’s powerful piece on the dire state of maternity care in the UK and the devastating impact of birth trauma spoke to me on a deep level as a new mother.
Ed’s picks:
I became involved with The Lead because of the The Lead North project – where we launched new titles covering places beyond the bright lights in the North of England. So for me, to see Leigh Jones’ piece about Teesworks become one of the most-read for The Lead this year was an endorsement of the important role we’re playing in towns and regions across the North. Journalists can be stubborn, and that’s no bad thing – and the way Leigh doggedly keeps treading the path in the Tees Valley with his work at
is a fantastic example of what we do at The Lead each week.Teesworks: £560m of public money spent and issues of 'governance and transparency' remain
Because the Tories lost the election and were forced into opposition last July, it’s reduced the number of Conservative faces we’ve seen on our TVs. More than two-thirds of Tories lost their seats in the election, and many old hands stepped down.
Linked to that we’ve been working hard to ensure our reporters are grounded in people and places – it’s actually surprisingly easy to publish stories without speaking to real people. I know that might sound like an odd thing for an editor to say. But from our sit-down interview with Maggie Oliver, to exposing the latest criticism of RMG, to being there to report public meetings about smelly tips in Fleetwood to the campaign to close Whalleys Quarry – it’s asking questions and giving people a chance to have their say and feel heard. And ensuring those in question get the right of reply of course.
Zoe’s picks:
My pick is Katherine Denkinson's piece on the Common Law Court conspiracy theory. It's a fascinating, weird insight into the niche theory stemming from a fundamental misreading of the Magna Carta, which has captured the worldviews of so many. Not only does it touch on the twisted logic behind the theory, but it also unpicks why people are increasingly brought into conspiracy land, and what, if anything we can do to get them back out.
Inside the Common Law Court conspiracy theory that led to attempted kidnap and ignoring council tax
Standing over six feet tall, Matthew Martin cut an imposing, yet deeply vulnerable figure when he appeared in Chelmsford Crown Court last year giving an impassioned statement in his own defence. Talking at speed, often breaking down into tears, 47-year old Martin told the court how he an…
I also loved Hannah Fearn's thoughtful feature on social mobility and left behind towns.
Luke’s picks:
My choice is Matty Edwards' piece on neglected social housing and their neglected tenants. It focused on Bristol, where I used to live and work and so I have some experience of how difficult housing is in that particular city. It also touched on a topic close to my heart in the North, where we have had instances where both housing associations and private landlords have let people down – and no prospect that there won't be more in future.
The social housing tenants left traumatised by decades of neglect
“There are kids who have breathing problems because of the damp in these flats. I've not had working heating for 16 years. My son was born in February – it was bloody freezing.
I also thought Ella Glover's piece on council tax reform was the sort of constructive journalism I get a lot from. Again, the relevance to the North also helps.
Hope you enjoyed flicking through our recent highlight reel. We’ve got even more good stuff coming to your inbox next week, including a special offer for paid subscriptions that will be available for a limited time only – so keep your eyes peeled.
This weekend, when I’m not overindulging on chocolate, I’ll be listening to How to Ruin a Football Club – a Tortoise podcast telling the story of how one of the world's most successful football clubs fell apart (truly painful listening for this red Mancunian).
Have a lovely long weekend,
Natalie and The Lead team