Plenary 1- The Moment for Change
The Moment for Change: Mobilising the Progressive Majority
Time: 10.30-11.10am
Location: The Stage, live-streamed to Cinema 1
Caroline Lucas, Former Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
Gary Stevenson, Economist, Author and YouTuber @GarysEconomics
Lena Swedlow, Deputy Director of Compass
Patrick Allen, Founder and Chair, Progressive Economy Forum
Breakout Session 1 – FOUNDATIONS AND FORCES
Time: 11.25 – 12.30
Pluralism and Alliances in a Fragmented Landscape
Hosted by Compass
Location: The Stage
Jonathan Shafi, Activist, Political Commentator, ERS Scotland Campaigns Organiser
Mark Drakeford, Former Labour First Minister of Wales
Roz Savage MP, Lib Dem MP, South Cotswolds
Sue Goss, Political Scientist, Author
Pluralism isn’t just a value. It’s an approach and a discipline, especially in a fragmented UK political landscape. This session explores how we work across parties and wider progressive divides, challenge our own assumptions, and build movements and relationships that can hold real political difference – and still win change.
Speakers will draw on their decades of combined experience in local government, national governments, and in parliament to discuss what pluralism practically means as a way of working politically in the fragmented UK today, why it’s valuable, and why it is more needed than ever.
Power Beyond the Party: What makes progressives strong?
Hosted by Compass
Location: The Studio
Andrea Egan, General Secretary, UNISON
Jeremy Gilbert, Professor of Cultural and Political Theory, University of East London
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary, National Education Union
Nick Dearden, Director, Global Justice Now
This session dives into the vital extraparliamentary institutions and structures that contribute to the strength and effectiveness of progressive governments – going beyond just parties and state power, to explore the crucial role of trade unions, coops, mutuals, social ownership, and more in progressives winning. Each speaker will generally be asked to speak about their area: the current state of that sector in the UK; what if any concrete steps can be taken to support and strengthen these sectors; and how can progressive governments (or hopeful leaders) could better integrate these forces into their strategies.
Confronting Economic Insecurity
Hosted by Progressive Economy Forum
Location: Cinema 1
Ann Pettifor, Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics; author of The Case for the Green New Deal and The Global Casino
Guy Standing, Professorial Research Associate, SOAS; author of The Precariat, The Politics of Time and Human Capital
Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, University of York; author of The Spirit Level and The Good Society
Patrick Allen, Founder and Chair, Progressive Economy Forum
Stewart Lansley, Author of The Cost of Inequality, Breadline Britain, and The Richer, The Poorer
Kate Pickett, Stewart Lansley, Guy Standing and Ann Pettifor will discuss Britain’s most pressing policy problem: how to confront economic insecurity in a time of economic upheaval.
Rethinking International Cooperation
Hosted by New Economics Foundation
Location: The Mix
Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, New Economics Foundation
Jean McLean, Chief Influencing Officer, Oxfam
Joe Powell MP, Labour MP, Kensington and Bayswater
Stella Creasy MP, Labour MP, Walthamstow
The UK has been an active player on the world stage in recent years, but much of this activity has been ‘defensive’, such as trying to resolve the war in Ukraine or trying to deal with the instability caused by the Trump administration. So, just as the world feels more unsettled and many of the institutions and norms of the world order are under strain, the UK has not been playing as prominent or confident a role as it could or should. With the UK confirmed to host the G20 in 2027, the window is open to put forward a coherent, values‑led agenda that is internationally credible and domestically grounded. This panel will ask what the UK should be doing differently on key aspects of international cooperation such as development, climate finance, energy security, and institutional renewal and aim to identify policies that will help deliver progressive goals and ways of talking about international issues that inspire domestic audiences.
Turning Back to Europe: Creating an Open Economy
Hosted by Progressive Economy Forum
Location: Cinema 2
Clare Short, Former Secretary of State for International Development
Orla McBreen, Deputy Ambassador, Ireland’s Embassy in London
Peter Holmes, Emeritus Reader, University of Sussex
Chaired by Clare Short (Former Secretary of State for International Development), Peter Holmes (University of Sussex Emeritus) and Orla McBreen (Deputy Ambassador at Ireland’s Embassy in London) will discuss ways to reboot the UK’s economic integration with Europe.
What does it mean to be progressive?
Hosted by Compass
Location: Cinema 3
Geoff Mulgan, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London (UCL)
John Denham, Labour MP 1997-2015 Southampton Itchen, Director of the Centre for English Identity and Politics at the University of Southampton
Louisa Munch, Critical Theorist, University of Warwick, Writer and Influencer
Geoff Mulgan started in Red Wedge, was Tony Blair’s Director of Policy, a co-founder of Demos, and is now a Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London. John Denham is the Director of the Centre for English Identity and Politics at the University of Southampton. He was an MP from 1992 – 2015 and held various cabinet positions, resigning over the Iraq War, before returning to the front bench in 2007. Dr Louisa Toxværd Munch is an academic at the University of Warwick who specialises in critical thinking, and with hundreds of thousands of followers, leads the progressive debate online in the UK. They have different experiences, around parties, within governments, and changing them from the outside, but will come together to debate what they think “progressivism” is in the 21st century.
Lunch
Time: 12.30 – 1.20pm
Please see Rich Mix, Beigel Bake, Vincenzo’s Pizza, or Dal Fiorentino, Sainsbury’s Local, and Tesco Express on Shoreditch High Street marked on the below map by green flags.
BREAKOUT SESSION 2 – SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES
TIME: 1.20 – 2.15pm
Facing the Debate: Progressive Answers on Asylum
Hosted by Compass
Location: Cinema 3
Allan Njanji, Regional Campaigns Manager, Asylum Matters, researcher and advocate for refugee rights
Bethany Gardiner-Smith, Senior Policy Associate, the Future Governance Forum
Francesca Klug, Human Rights expert and Visiting Professor at the LSE
For years, many progressives have struggled to engage meaningfully with public concerns about immigration, too often sidestepping the issue, or worse, echoing harmful narratives in an attempt to keep pace with political pressure. This session brings together Bethany Gardiner-Smith and Allan Njanji in conversation chaired by Francesca Klug to confront that record head-on and ask key questions:
- How can progressives respond to voters’ anxieties without legitimising racism or division?
- What policy solutions and storytelling approaches can shift the debate toward fairness, solidarity, and truth?
- What are the strategies needed to reclaim this vital political ground?
Public Services and Democratic Renewal: Can everyday action build a nation of neighbours?
Hosted by UCL Policy Lab
Location: The Stage
Alan Renwick, Professor of Democratic Politics in the UCL Department of Political Science, and Director of the UCL Constitution Unit
Caitlin Prowle, Assistant General Secretary, Cooperative Party
Natalie Covino, Policy and Partnerships Officer UCL Policy Lab
Ros Wynne-Jones, Columnist at Daily Mirror
Drawing on the latest analysis and insights from the Nation of Neighbours project UCL Policy Lab run with Demos, this session with explore how a new approach to public services and democracy could transform people’s views of politics and the state.
When there is political inertia at the centre, civil society can take the lead. Governments don’t always have the capacity or imagination to change things. Communities don’t receive the necessary backing and support. To change this, Nation of Neighbours posits that we need a shared story to fuel us. Stories matter. They enable change-makers in towns, cities and villages across the UK to realise: they are part of something far bigger, they are the movement. Stories create the license for everyone to act. This isn’t a story the centre can write alone. But communities can tell it. That’s where we need to start.
Ros Wynne-Jones will chair a discussion between Alan Renwick, The Constitution Unit, UCL, Caitlin Prowle, The Cooperative Party, and Natalie Covino, UCL Policy Lab who will be joined by partners from community projects across Britain to examine how localised, participatory approaches to service delivery and civic engagement can rebuild trust in the state and empower citizens to actively shape their communities.
Beyond the Squeeze: a Decent Standard of Living for Everyone
Hosted by Progressive Economy Forum
Location: Cinema 1
Beth Stratford, Honorary Research Fellow, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Mat Lawrence, Director, Common Wealth
Josh Ryan-Collins, Professor of Economics and Finance, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Will Stronge, Chief Executive, The Autonomy Institute
Will Stronge (the Autonomy Institute), Mat Lawrence (Common Wealth) and Beth Stratford (UCL) will discuss progressive options for overcoming the cost of living crisis.
How to Move Millions: How to Make Media Work for Progressives
Hosted by Impress
Location: The Studio
Hannah Robathan, Take Back Big Tech
Lexie KirkConnell-Kawana, CEO, Impress
Paul Wragg, Director, Hacked Off
Thomas Barlow, Treasurer, Independent Media Association
Tom Chivers, Vice Chair, Media Reform Coalition
In an age where a handful of powerful platforms and media institutions shape what millions see, hear, and believe, the question of who controls the flow of information has never been more urgent. From concentrated media ownership to opaque algorithms and the growing influence of big tech, the current landscape presents a fundamental challenge for progressive movements: how to reach and mobilise a broad, engaged majority in an environment that often fragments attention, amplifies misinformation, or sidelines alternative voices.
This panel brings together leading voices working at the forefront of media reform and accountability. Thomas Barlow (Independent Media Association), Lexie KirkConnell-Kawana (Impress), representatives Media Reform Coalition, alongside from Hacked Off and Pull The Plug AI, will explore how structural changes to our media ecosystem could help unlock a progressive majority. The discussion will examine why media reform is not a niche issue but a central political battleground that shapes public opinion, democratic participation, and the viability of progressive change.
Tough Choices for a Caring Economy: Daniella Jenkins in conversation with Vince Cable
Hosted by Progressive Economy Forum
Location: Cinema 2
Daniella Jenkins, Executive Director of the Women’s Budget Group
Susan Himmelweit, Emeritus Professor, Open University; Economist and Chair of the Policy Advisory Group of the Women’s Budget Group
Vince Cable, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, 2017-19
Daniella Jenkins and Sir Vince Cable will discuss ways that we can create a fairer, more caring economy. They will interrogate the costs of progressive approaches to policy in areas like social care, pensions and immigration, and the tradeoffs that these create.
Make Politics Work for the People
Hosted by Make Votes Matter, Migrant Democracy Project, Unlock Democracy
Location: The Mix
Alex Sobel, Chair of APPG for Fair Elections, Labour MP Leeds Central and Headingley
Alex Zur-Clark, Parliamentary Organiser, Labour for a New Democracy
Emma Harrison, Director, Make Votes Matter
Lara Parizotto, Director, Migrant Democracy Project
Tom Brake, Director, Unlock Democracy
With the Representation of the People Bill now in the House of Commons, there is a historic opportunity to restore trust in the political system – but will the Government be bold enough to take it? Electoral Reform, residence-based voting rights and a cap on political donations can be transformative to how our politics works putting power back in the hands of the voter. This session aims to demonstrate that with the current makeup of the House of Commons that generational democratic change is achievable if our leaders are bold enough to grasp it.
CONVERSATIONS FOR CHANGE
Time: 14.25 – 15.00
Change: HOW? – What are the most effective, creative, and sustainable strategies we can deploy to actively engage and mobilise the progressive majority?
Location: The Studio
This session will allow attendees an opportunity to pitch to each other the most effective, creative, and sustainable strategies and tactics we can deploy to actively engage and mobilise the progressive majority? Attendees will have a facilitated discussion of how they think we win change.
Change: WHY?- what is the shared narrative of the progressive majority?
Location: The Stage
What is the story that we should be telling about how we got here and what we do next? Across the progressive majority there are many different theories and analyses – what is our core shared narrative that can explain our choices and motivate people to join us? Attendees will have a facilitated discussion about what we are trying to say about the nature of politics itself, and the society we want to become.
Change: WHAT? What are the key policies that should be at the heart of the movement to mobilise the progressive majority?
Location: The Mix
This session will allow attendees an opportunity to pitch the policies that they believe should be at the heart of the movement to mobilise the progressive majority. Guided by key questions, facilitators, and balloons, attendees will have the opportunity to make the case for what change we want to win.
SESSION 3 – STRATEGY, ACTION AND ORGANISING
TIME: 15.10 – 16.00
Clean Growth, Shared Wealth: Building the Green Economy
Hosted by Progressive Economy Forum
Location: Cinema 1
Carolina Alves, Associate Professor in Economics, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Cecilia Rikap, Associate Professor in Economics, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Will Hutton, President of the Academy of Social Sciences; author of The State We’re In and This Time No Mistakes
Will Hutton (President, Academy of the Social Sciences), Cecilia Rikap (UCL) and Carolina Alves (UCL) will discuss ecologically progressive options for harnessing Britain’s potential for growth.
Paying for Tomorrow: Economic Policy for the long-term
Hosted by Progressive Economy Forum
Location: Cinema 2
Diane Elson, Emeritus Professor, University of Essex; adviser to UN Women and the Women’s Budget Group
James Meadway, Director, Verdant
Jo Michell, Professor of Economics, UWE Bristol
Diane Elson (University of Essex Emeritus), James Meadway (Verdant) and Jo Michell (UWE Bristol) will discuss progressive options for rebuilding the public realm after 15 years of austerity.
From the Green New Deal to Social Ownership: Reimagining the Green Agenda
Hosted by Friends of the Earth
Location: The Stage
Asad Rehman, Chief Executive, Friends of the Earth
Caroline Lucas, Former Leader of the Green Party
Clive Lewis, Labour MP, Norwich South
Zoe Williams, Guardian Columnist
As our world has grown more insecure and our politics more turbulent, the horizon that green politics works within have fundamentally changed. We no longer talk in terms of sea level rise in 2100, but the disasters of here and now. Is worrying about the future just such a luxury for so many of us that the time beyond 2029 seems to have disappeared from political view? Or are there other factors behind the journey green politics and the climate movement has been on since the 2010s wave of Green New Deal organising?
This session will be a conversation, hosted by Zoe Williams, exploring the journey the green movement has gone on, featuring insights from Caroline Lucas drawn from her campaigning and time in parliament, Asad Rehman (Friends of the Earth), and Clive Lewis about his campaigns, most recently for public ownership of water.
Many Traditions, One Party: Labour and the Politics of Pluralism
Hosted by Mainstream
Location: The Studio
Kerry Postlewhite, Chair, Mainstream
Caitlin Prowle, Assistant General Secretary, Cooperative Party
Hannah Rich, Director, Christians on the Left
Marc Stears, Director, UCL Policy Lab
Paul Fleming, General Secretary, Equity
Labour today is increasingly centralised and averse to participation and pluralism. But the party was historically a space which productively coalesced different left-wing traditions into a common project; bringing together socialists, social democrats, trade unionists, left-leaning liberals, cooperators, religious groups and others.
This panel will explore what can be learnt from the periods during which Labour successfully worked internally along pluralist lines – including, arguably, moments during the Wilson government(s), the Blair government(s), and during Labour’s early life after the ILP’s revision – and explore the notion of Labour as one party with many traditions. The session aims to draw out distinctly Labour Party-based lessons for the broader progressive ecosystem, surfacing structures and practices deployed successfully within the Labour Party to facilitate joint working internally and across different Labour traditions.
How We Win: Electoral Tactics for the Progressive Majority with Forward Democracy, The Primaries Movement, The Muslim Vote, and Green New Deal Rising
Location: The Mix
Celsabil Hadj-Cherif, Lead London organiser, The Muslim Vote
Anthea Simmons, Founder of Common Ground Org, co-founder South Devon Primary and editor-in-chief of West Country Voices
Faiza Shaheen, Executive Director, Tax Justice UK, Independent candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green in the 2024 General Election
Fatima Ibrahim, Co-executive Director, Green New Deal Rising
Tom de Grunwald, Founder and Director, Forward Democracy
Building a progressive majority will take more than traditional campaigning. During this session we’ll hear from leaders from the Independents movement, The Muslim Vote, the Movement Forward, The Primaries Movement and Green New Deal Rising about how they are experimenting with new ways to mobilise progressive voters and win power. Each speaker will describe how their organisation organises at elections and then break into groups to explore exactly how attendees could utilise the different tactics at elections.
Universalism as an Antidote to Populism: the case for Free School Meals for All
Hosted by the National Education Union
Location: Cinema 3
David Wilson, Deputy General Secretary, National Education Union
James Baggaley, Head of Politics and Partnerships, UCL Policy Lab
Ruth Lister, Labour Peer, Professor of Social Policy at University of Loughborough
Progressive parties have led the way in Scotland, England and Wales to deliver universal school meals. In a time of growing populism – increasingly seen across our high streets and online – such policies can deliver real change whilst bringing people together. The expansion of FSM to all children growing up in families in receipt of Universal Credit will be life changing for thousands – but we know that any means tested system will always leave some behind. This panel discussion on how universalism can be a powerful counter to populism. Policies that treat everyone fairly and with respect, no matter their background. We’ll reflect on why Free School Meals for All can be a cornerstone of addressing existing inequality and promoting social cohesion.
From Vision to Victory: Where Next for the Progressive Majority?
Time: 16:20 – 16:50
Location: The Stage, live-streamed to Cinema 1
Neal Lawson, Director of Compass
Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
Closing thanks on behalf of PEF : Kate Pickett
17.00 Arsenal v PSG European Cup Final !!
Location : A pub nearby!
Remember to sign up for the PEF Mailing list to ensure you hear about future events.
