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A top academic from City St George's, University of London, has told Parliament that the Government's strategy to tackle child poverty needs a serious rethink. Dr Matt Barnes believes current measures don't go deep enough to help families struggling the most.

Experts call for better poverty measures

Dr Matt Barnes, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at City St George's, gave evidence to a joint parliamentary committee. The inquiry is looking at the Government's strategy to combat child poverty.

He highlighted that many families face a combination of issues. These can include low pay, unstable housing, debt, and caring responsibilities.

When these problems stick around for years, it's what experts call 'deep poverty'. Dr Barnes argued that current government figures don't fully capture this.

“People in poverty don’t have the same circumstances,” Dr Barnes told the Committee. “What we are missing [in Government statistics and policy packages] is families that have multiple poverty factors. These families need more joined up policy solutions.”

New centre to focus on complex poverty

Dr Barnes is also co-leading a new Centre for Poverty and Innovation at City St George's. This centre will focus specifically on deep and complex poverty.

He hopes the Government's strategy will include targets for persistent and deep poverty. This, he says, will help measure if policies are actually reaching those who need them most.

Pinpointing the enemy

The new technique, developed by researchers from King's College London and the University of Surrey, can detect tiny amounts of metal inside individual living cells and their internal compartments. Crucially, it does this without needing to kill the cells first. This is a massive step forward for understanding targeted radionuclide therapy, a treatment that uses radioactive particles to attack tumour cells.

A vital location

Where a drug ends up inside a cell is critical for its effectiveness. If it reaches the nucleus, it can damage cancer DNA. Until now, there hasn't been a reliable way to measure this in living cells.

"We developed this method using two specialist facilities – the SEISMIC facility at King’s College London and the University of Surrey’s ICP-MS facility," explained Dr Monica Felipe-Sotelo, Senior Lecturer in Radiochemistry and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Surrey and co-author. "Together, they allowed us to combine the cell-sampling and metal-detection steps in a single workflow for the first time."

Precision targeting

The team used incredibly fine glass capillary tips to extract individual living pancreatic cancer cells and even material from within them, like mitochondria. The SEISMIC facility at King's provided the sampling capability. Surrey's advanced mass spectrometry then detected the metal.

This combination of sub-cellular sampling and advanced detection has never been done before. It allows scientists to ask not just if a drug enters a cell, but precisely where it goes.

Beyond cancer

The potential of this new method extends far beyond cancer research. "The potential here goes well beyond cancer," said Dr Claire Davison, Postdoctoral Research Associate at King's and co-author. "Metals play important roles in a wide range of diseases – from infectious disease to diabetes and liver conditions – and we have few tools for studying exactly where they are accumulating within cells."

This technique could help us understand how any metal-based drug or toxic substance behaves inside living cells, opening up new avenues for treating a variety of illnesses.

Cultivating Community and Care

The Common Garden project, a collaboration between LSBU and Loughborough Farm, has been recognised in the prestigious Pineapples Award 2026 shortlist. This award celebrates projects that make a real difference to communities and the environment.

The project, based at Loughborough Farm, focuses on how shared garden spaces can support both people and nature. It shows how working together in gardens can boost wellbeing and bring local communities closer.

LSBU architecture students worked hand-in-hand with farm volunteers. This hands-on approach allowed students to gain practical experience in community-led design and sustainable building. Volunteers shared their invaluable knowledge of the site and its users.

Over three years, the project saw students, researchers, activists, and volunteers team up. They designed and built new features for the farm, including moveable planters and an outdoor stage, all using recycled materials.

A Vital Role in Shaping Cities

Dr Ioana Petkova, a project co-lead and lecturer at LSBU, expressed her delight. "This shortlist recognition is incredibly meaningful for the whole team," she said. "London’s Common Gardens is about practising care for people, place and shared futures."

She added that seeing a small-scale, community-led project recognised alongside major national schemes highlights the importance of collaborative, care-centred research. It shows how these efforts can help shape more inclusive cities.

Heather Seal, Coordinator at Wyck Forest Garden and Loughborough Farm, praised the new plant room. "We are really enjoying the new plant room. It has a very calm and cosy atmosphere," she commented. "We have held quite a few workshops in there as well as our afternoon tea."

The winners of the Pineapples Awards 2026 will be announced at a special event on 22 April 2026.

A Lost Home Found

For centuries, academics have puzzled over where Shakespeare's Blackfriars house actually stood. A dark blue plaque on St Andrew's Hill in Blackfriars marks the spot, but it only says "near this site."

Now, Professor Lucy Munro from King's College London has unearthed crucial documents. These include a previously unknown floorplan from 1668.

This new evidence confirms the precise location and size of the property Shakespeare bought in 1613. It paints a different picture of where he might have spent his final years.

More Than Just an Investment?

It's long been thought that Shakespeare retired to Stratford-upon-Avon after buying his Blackfriars property. Some believed he only purchased it as an investment.

However, Professor Munro's findings suggest otherwise. The house was substantial and close to his workplace at the Blackfriars theatre.

"After all, he could have bought an investment property anywhere in London, but this house was close to his workplace at the Blackfriars theatre," Professor Munro explained.

She added, "We know that Shakespeare co-authored ‘Two Noble Kinsmen’ with John Fletcher later in 1613, and this new evidence that the Blackfriars house was quite substantial makes it not inconceivable that some of it may have been written in this very property."

Pinpointing the Exact Spot

The newly discovered floorplan shows the property covered parts of what are now Ireland Yard and Burgon Street. This means the blue plaque on St Andrew's Hill is actually on the correct spot, not just "near" it.

The property was divided into two houses by 1645. It was eventually sold by Shakespeare's granddaughter in 1665, only to be destroyed in the Great Fire of London a year later.

Dr Will Tosh, Director of Education at Shakespeare's Globe, praised the discovery. "Professor Munro’s fantastic discovery proves there’s no replacement for human graft in the archive, and our reward for her hard work is a dazzling new sense of Shakespeare the London writer."

Nature's Inspiration for Greener Business

The innovative tool, called Nature's Playbook: Ecological Design Thinking for a Circular Economy, is the brainchild of Dr Emma Fromberg at King's College London's Centre for Sustainable Business. It uses prompts based on how natural ecosystems work to help teams rethink how materials and products are used and reused, rather than just thrown away.

This could mean finding clever new ways to work with suppliers or turning waste into valuable resources for new processes. The tool has already been tested with businesses from retail, consulting, manufacturing, and the public sector.

"What people mostly found is that it helped them to think differently about existing circularity challenges and draw inspiration from natural systems," explained Dr Fromberg. "In addition to that, also to turn that shift in perspective into practical ideas they could take back into their organisations and start applying straight away."

Real-World Impact for London

Organisations like Cross River Partnership, a London-based public–private partnership, have already seen the benefits. They used Nature's Playbook to explore how ecological thinking could help them tackle complex urban challenges.

Ross Phillips, Sustainable Transport Manager at Cross River Partnership, said: "The Ecological Design Thinking workshop encouraged us to think differently and more experimentally about complex challenges. It broadened our perspective and helped us think more holistically about the systems we work within. I left with new approaches that I’m already applying in my work."

The project has received support from King's SPARK Innovation Fund, which backs research with strong potential for real-world impact. Plans are underway to launch an open programme and bespoke workshops for organisations keen to adopt circular economy principles.

Thousands of Green Jobs on the Horizon

The new status, announced by the government, recognises LSBTC's leading role in developing skills for low-carbon heating, renewable technologies, and electrical systems. This is crucial as London faces urgent shortages in areas like heat pump installation and building retrofit.

The college will now lead a London-wide network, connecting colleges, employers, and public bodies. This aims to expand access to high-quality technical training that directly matches the demand for cleantech jobs.

"As London moves towards a greener future, colleges have a vital role to play in developing the skilled workforce that will make that transition possible," said Craig Hanlon-Smith, Principal of London South Bank Technical College.

A Hub for Innovation and Skills

LSBTC's state-of-the-art campus already boasts specialist clean energy facilities. With this new designation, it will develop a dedicated Clean Energy Centre. This will support teaching, apprenticeships, and employer training.

The college is already working with industry leaders like Kensa, the UK's leading ground source heat pump provider, and Hemiko, a major heat network investor. These partnerships ensure learners get hands-on experience with the latest technologies.

Fiona Morey OBE, Executive Principal of South Bank Colleges, added: "We are delighted that South Bank Colleges has been recognised as a Clean Energy Technical Excellence College. This is a major opportunity to expand high-quality training in green skills."

Supporting Inclusive Growth

A key focus for LSBTC is ensuring the clean energy transition creates accessible and inclusive career opportunities for all Londoners. Through outreach and training programmes, the college aims to help people from under-represented groups find skilled employment in growing green sectors. By 2030, London is expected to need around 19,000 additional workers in clean heat and retrofit roles.

No More Guesswork for Stroke Robots

Until now, there's been no clear guide on how these complex robotic systems, used in a procedure called mechanical thrombectomy (MT), should be built or tested. This has made it hard to compare different approaches and ensure patient safety.

A new position statement, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, aims to fix that. It sets out clear standards to put patient safety first.

MT is a crucial procedure to remove blood clots from the brain. It needs to happen quickly for the best results, but specialist expertise is often limited, meaning access is restricted.

Robotic surgical systems offer a potential solution, allowing specialists to perform procedures remotely. However, the lack of standardisation has slowed progress.

"We found that although several studies existed, they were all testing different tasks, using different models and measuring different outcomes," said Harry Robertshaw, a PhD student at King's College London's School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences. "This made it impossible to compare results or identify the most effective approaches."

Global Collaboration for Patient Safety

To tackle this, the King's College London team brought together experts from around the world. They included specialists in stroke treatment, robotics, data science, health economics, policy, statistics, and even patient advocates.

This collaboration has resulted in consensus frameworks for developing and validating robotic MT. The position statement now details how these systems should be tested and how their effectiveness should be measured and reported.

"By bringing together experts from clinical practice, academia, industry and patient representatives, we have defined the first consensus standards for robotics and AI in thrombectomy navigation," explained Robertshaw. "This will help to move the technology forward as its integration with clinical practice moves closer to reality."

Patient perspectives were a key part of the process, with input from organisations like the Stroke Association. This ensured that safety, real-world impact, and patient benefit remained at the forefront.

Dr Thomas Booth, a Reader in Neuroimaging at King's College London and Consultant Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiologist at King's College Hospital, commented: "While AI-assisted robotic MT is not yet ready for routine clinical use, the speed of innovation in both robotics and AI means transformative advances are likely to be just around the corner."

"Our work lays the foundation for that future by defining clear standards to ensure that global development and validation are well understood," he added.

The position statement is already making waves. The King's College London team recently demonstrated for the first time that AI can autonomously perform MT navigation in a physical lab setting. These new frameworks will guide how that work is developed, validated, and eventually brought into clinical trials.

A Better Courtroom Experience

The project aims to make significant improvements to the court process for those who have experienced sexual violence. This could mean a less traumatic experience for victims.

Expert Insights

Dr. Katrin Hohl, a key figure in the study, highlighted the importance of the work. "We are looking at how we can improve the handling of rape cases in court," she stated. This focus on practical improvements is crucial.

What is Operation Soteria?

Operation Soteria is a pilot study designed to test new methods within the legal system. It seeks to ensure that the complexities of rape cases are understood and addressed effectively.

The impossible dream of perfect AI

The idea that we can build an AI so powerful it can do anything, yet keep it perfectly under our thumb, is mathematically impossible, according to new research from King's College London. As AI gets smarter, ensuring it stays on our side is a massive challenge.

But rather than trying to eliminate any tiny bit of AI misalignment, the researchers propose we embrace and manage it. They suggest building a diverse network of AI systems with different goals and values. This way, they can balance and correct each other.

Agentic neurodivergence: A new way forward

This new concept is called 'agentic neurodivergence'. It's like a natural ecosystem, where variety makes things stronger and more adaptable. No single AI would be allowed to become too dominant.

Instead, multiple AI agents would work together and compete. They'd have partial alignment with different human values. If one AI started acting in a harmful way, others could step in to counterbalance it.

Dr Hector Zenil, a senior author on the study and Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor at King’s Institute for AI, explained the thinking. "While we have shown that sufficiently strong AI cannot be fully controlled or predicted, we also demonstrate that agents can be influenced by other agents without central control, and that greater diversity and openness influence their behaviour."

Open-source AI shows promise

To test their theory, the researchers experimented with AI systems. They gave them different roles, like prioritising human welfare or the environment. They then posed ethically tricky questions.

Commercial AIs like GPT-4 were hard to push into bad behaviour. But this also meant they were harder to correct if they did go off track. Open-source models, however, were more flexible. They produced a wider range of views, creating a more resilient system.

The authors stress that the goal isn't to fear AI. It's about governing it wisely. They believe a diversity of systems, each keeping the others in check, might be the most practical way to ensure AI remains beneficial.

"As these systems get more powerful, ensuring they remain beneficial to and aligned with humanity becomes more important," added Dr Zenil. This research offers new guidelines for building future AI, showing that openness and diversity aren't just good ideas, they could be technically essential.

Next Generation Voice

The event, convened by the King’s Centre for Defence Studies, stressed that preparing for the future isn't just about military might. Professor Rachel Mills, Senior Vice President (Academic) at King's, said readiness is about “strategic understanding, institutional resilience, and informed public debate”.

She added that students are “the next generation who are going to study, advise and lead”, making their inclusion essential.

Whole-of-Society Approach

Experts warned that defence discussions have often been too narrow. Dr Hillary Briffa, Assistant Director of the Centre for Defence Studies, noted that these talks have too often remained confined to “familiar generations with familiar backgrounds”.

The panel explored readiness from a “whole-of-society” perspective. They highlighted complex threats like geopolitical instability, hybrid warfare, and climate crises.

Panellists argued that preparedness needs to span all sectors. This requires better coordination between services and a more informed public.

Geopolitical Shifts

Later, the focus shifted to global strategy. Professor John Gearson discussed how international strategy is being reshaped by volatility and shifting alliances.

Speakers explored how global security is increasingly defined by rapid changes in state behaviour. This challenges traditional long-term planning.

The discussions underscored how regional crises can have far-reaching global consequences.

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