Left Foot Forward

{{Short description|British political website}}

{{for|the film also known as "Left Foot Forward on the Beat"|Big Drum Under Left Foot}}

{{italic title}}

{{Infobox website

| name = Left Foot Forward

| favicon =

| logo = Left Foot Forward.jpg

| screenshot =

| caption =

| url = {{url|leftfootforward.org}}

| commercial = No

| type = Blog

| registration =

| author = Will Straw

| editor = Josiah Mortimer,

Basit Mahmood

| launch_date = 2009

| current_status = Active

| revenue = £70,000 (donors 2011)Dan Sabbagh [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/may/13/iain-dale-returns-the-daley "Is this really the death of political blogging?"], The Guardian, 13 May 2011

}}

Left Foot Forward (LFF) is a left-wing political news and comment site in the UK, established in 2009. Its creator, Will Straw, the son of Alice Perkins and Jack Straw, edited the newspaper until December 2010.[http://www.ippr.org/staff-profiles/58/606/will-straw "Our people: Will Straw], Institute for Public Policy Research

Straw was succeeded by Shamik Das, who was succeeded in February 2013 by James Bloodworth, then in February 2016 by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin. In June 2017, Josiah Mortimer took over as Editor.[http://www.leftfootforward.org/biographies/ "Biographies"], Left Foot Forward website In 2020, Joe Lo joined as co-editor, before being replaced by former Newsweek journalist Basit Mahmood in May 2021.{{Cite web|date=2009-07-15|title=About/Write for Us|url=https://leftfootforward.org/about/|access-date=2020-09-23|website=Left Foot Forward|language=en-GB}}

The site is part of a cohort of British left-wing blogs which attracted interest from the media in 2010 and 2011.{{cite news|last=Pickard|first=Jim|title=Labour’s stance on immigration under criticism|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54931266-6ce8-11df-91c8-00144feab49a.html|newspaper=Financial Times|date=31 May 2010|author2=Boxell, James}}{{cite news|last=Helm|first=Toby|title=Political blogs: Our round-up of the best political pundits on the web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/mar/21/10-best-political-blogs|accessdate=21 March 2010|newspaper=The Observer|location=London|date=21 March 2010}}{{cite news|last=Bell|first=Matthew|title=In his father's footsteps. Straw the younger's political trek|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/in-his-fathers-footsteps-straw-the-youngers-political-trek-1862959.html|date=10 January 2010|newspaper=Independent on Sunday|location=London}}{{cite news|last=Iain|first=Dale|title=A second life for UK political blogging?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/13/political-blogging-iain-dale-and-friends|newspaper=The Guardian|date=13 May 2011|location=London}}

In January 2014, the charity Oxfam cancelled an event at the East London Mosque after Left Foot Forward made the charity aware of the profile of one of its headline speakers, Ibrahim Hewitt, who had written a book for GCSE students calling homosexuality a "great sin", and saying that gay people should be "severely punished" under Islamic law.{{Cite news|url=http://www.hizb.org.uk/news-watch/oxfam-cancels-event-at-east-london-mosque-over-homophobic-speaker/|title=Oxfam cancels event at East London Mosque over 'homophobic' speaker|last=Barnett|first=Adam|date=2014-01-23|work=East London Advertiser|access-date=2017-08-10|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/desperately-seeking-the-bethnal-green-girls-qh7bhn3wcwb|title=Desperately seeking the Bethnal Green girls|last=Marsh|first=Stefanie|access-date=2017-08-10|language=en}}

In 2016, Left Foot Forward described itself as "progressive" and "in agreement with left of centre policies and politicians".{{cite web |url=http://leftfootforward.org/about/ |title=About |publisher=Left Foot Forward |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206163454/http://leftfootforward.org/about/ |archivedate=6 February 2016 |url-status=dead }}

In 2018, a not-for-profit co-operative called Political Pixel started supporting the operation of Left Foot Forward, alongside other left-wing blogs LabourList and Political Scrapbook.{{cite news |url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/left-foot-forward-enters-the-fray-as-latest-news-website-to-join-lobby-of-political-journalists-based-in-parliament/ |title=Left Foot Forward 'enters the fray' as latest news website to join lobby of political journalists based in Parliament |last=Mayhew |first=Freddy |newspaper=Press Gazette |date=13 March 2018 |accessdate=28 August 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.uk.coop/directory/location/political-pixel-ltd-r008573 |title=Political Pixel |publisher=Co-operatives UK |accessdate=28 August 2019 |archive-date=15 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515173916/https://www.uk.coop/directory/location/political-pixel-ltd-r008573 |url-status=dead }} In 2020, Left Foot Forward became independent of Political Pixel.{{Cite web|date=2009-07-15|title=About/Contribute|url=https://leftfootforward.org/about/|access-date=2020-09-23|website=Left Foot Forward|language=en-GB}}

In March 2018, Left Foot Forward joined Parliament's Press Gallery to report from Parliament{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/left-foot-forward-enters-the-fray-as-latest-news-website-to-join-lobby-of-political-journalists-based-in-parliament/|title=Left Foot Forward 'enters the fray' as latest news website to join lobby of political journalists based in Parliament|last=Mayhew|first=Freddy|date=13 March 2018|website=Press Gazette|language=en-US}} and the outlet joined the state-approved press regulator IMPRESS in January 2019.{{cite web |url=https://leftfootforward.org/2019/01/left-foot-forward-joins-press-regulator-impress/ |title=Left Foot Forward joins press regulator |author= |date=25 January 2019 |website=Left Foot Forward|access-date=25 January 2019}} LFF was one of the outlets which questioned government ministers during the daily COVID-19 press conferences in April 2020.{{cite tweet|title=The government have only warm words to offer care workers and NHS staff. No commitment to treating care workers as more than 'low skilled labour'. @josiahmortimer's Q at the No 10 press conference:|user=leftfootfwd|author=Left Foot Forward|number=1251197626139246598|access-date=23 September 2020|language=en}}

Contributing editors to the site include accounting professor Prem Sikka, former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, and Unite the Union Assistant General Secretary Tony Burke.{{Cite web|date=2009-07-15|title=About/Contribute|url=https://leftfootforward.org/about/|access-date=2020-09-23|website=Left Foot Forward|language=en-GB}}