All articles written by Baroness Lister on PoliticsHome.com

14 Apr Home affairs

Cutting leave to remain is a morally and legally dubious choice

Recently, the Home Secretary announced a detrimental change to refugee policy: the period of leave to remain that will be given to people with a recognised need for protection will be cut from five years to just 30 months.

13 Nov 2025 Economy

Unfair Universal Credit sanctions must be reformed once and for all

The government has a rare opportunity to address one of the most harmful elements of the Universal Credit regime.

03 Jun 2025 Economy

We must tackle the unfairness of debt caused by DWP mistakes

‘People who work hard and play by the rules, and people who depend on our public services and vital benefits, deserve to have trust and faith in the system.’

07 May 2024 Books & culture

A testimony to our shared humanity: Baroness Lister reviews 'Tears of Gold'

Featuring moving and beautiful portraits of female survivors of conflict and sexual violence, Hannah Rose Thomas’ art imparts dignity, resistance and justice to her subjects

20 Jul 2023 Political parties

Labour must ditch two-child benefit cap

Dubbed “the worst ever social security policy” by an eminent social policy professor, the two-child limit has become front page news.

27 Jun 2023 Home affairs

It’s vital we defeat the Illegal Migration Bill’s get-out clause – because isolationism will solve nothing

The extreme consequences of new legislation are often obscured by the dry and wordy legalese that’s used to draft it.

24 May 2022 Economy

A benefits increase is essential to ease the cost of living for low-income families

“There is quite simply nothing left to cut back on.”

09 Aug 2021 Economy

Cutting universal credit uplift is emblematic of a failure to take child poverty seriously

Despite protestations that reducing child poverty is a priority and despite all the talk of levelling up, there is no child poverty strategy worthy of the name.

13 Jan 2020 Communities

An above-inflation benefits increase will help the most vulnerable with the cost of living

There is no excuse for a lack of understanding about the effects of DWP policy decisions, the benefits freeze has contributed to increased homelessness, child poverty, reliance on food banks and general suffering, writes Baroness Lister.

23 Jul 2019 Communities

Home Office must assess the negative impact 'no recourse to public funds' immigration rules are having on children

It is clear that the government are doing nothing to assess the impact of the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) policy on children, says Baroness Lister.

17 Dec 2018 Communities

Government must end 'defensive state of denial' and tackle child poverty in the UK

The UN Rapporteur has held up a revealing mirror to British society, says Baroness Lister.

30 Apr 2018 Communities

The benefit cap has a disproportionate impact on children, the government must end this misery

Ahead of her Lord's question on the impact of the benefit cap on child and family wellbeing, Baroness Lister writes about the topic for PoliticsHome.

12 Apr 2016 Political parties

Refugees left destitute due to bureaucratic incompetence

Ahead of today's third reading of the Immigration Bill, Baroness Lister calls for the Home Office and DWP must work together to prevent refugees granted asylum from destitution due to ‘move-on’ issues.

07 Jul 2015 Health

Child poverty is being erased from the political agenda

Baroness Lister challenges the Government’s position that 'work is the best route out of poverty', saying child poverty within working families is on the rise