From fringe issue to the heart of politics: the UK Living Wage campaign marks 25 years of success

Cleaners at Queen Mary University in east London mark the anniversary of its Living Wage Campus policy, introduced in 2006. The college was the first UK university to approve a living wage plan. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian

A paragon of the kind of people-powered progress that feels all the more necessary in divisive times, the Living Wage campaign is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Born out of Telco (The East London Citizens Organisation), which ultimately became the nationwide group Citizens UK, the campaign has always involved communities working together to press for social and economic change.