Dame Margaret Beckett, Layla Moran and Mark Harper have been added to the line-up for the New Stateman’s flagship Politics Live event. They will be joining Ben Wallace, Jeremy Hunt, Lisa Nandy, Tom Tugendhat, Nikki Da Costa and many more speakers in showcasing the very best of our political coverage. With panels, live interviews, speeches, podcasts and debates that bring together policymakers from across the political spectrum, this is your chance to meet parliamentarians and debate the most important issues in British politics.
Our roster of speakers includes the Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace MP, who will outline his view on the biggest threats to the UK’s national security and how we should tackle them, alongside Dame Margaret Beckett MP, Chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy. The “Red Wall” will be a pivotal battleground in the next election: Labour’s Lisa Nandy MP will join a panel to discuss what we really mean when we talk about the Red Wall and how both the main parties can win seats there.
We will also hear from Jeremy Hunt MP and Wes Streeting MP on post-pandemic health policy; Tom Tugendhat MP and Layla Moran MP on US and UK relations in the era of Biden and Brexit; Nikki da Costa, the former Director of Legislative Affairs at No 10 Downing Street, and Mark Harper MP, Chair of the Covid Recovery Group, on the road ahead for the Conservative Party; and Professor Sarah Gilbert, Saïd Professorship of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, on her work on the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
We would love you to be involved in the conversation too. Join us on Tuesday 28 June 2022 in the heart of Westminster, alongside an audience of leaders from industry, politics, journalism and academia. Together, we will grapple with the most pressing policy questions facing the UK today.
Register now: https://nsmg.live/event/ns-politics-live/
Date: 28/06/22
Venue: etc. Venues County Hall, SE1 7PB
Conference: 09:00 –18:00
Networking drinks: 18:00 –19:30
Tickets: New Statesman Subscriber Early Bird (£49.99), Standard Early Bird (£79.99), Student (£39.99)
Full draft agenda: See below
NS Politics Live
28 June 2022
The New Statesman is Britain’s leading, best written and most authoritative weekly political, cultural and current affairs magazine. Our live events are a dynamic way to interact with the New Statesman’s journalism and offer the opportunity to engage with the most topical and urgent policy issues of the day.
NS Politics Live will showcase the very best of the New Statesman, with panels, live interviews, speeches, roundtables and debates that bring together policymakers from across the political spectrum. Join us on Tuesday 28 June 2022 at etc. Venues County Hall, SE1 7PB, to hear insights from experts, politicians and industry leaders; network with fellow influential guests; and address the most pressing policy questions facing the UK.
Main agenda
09:00-09:30: Keynote address and Q&A
09:30-10:15: Panel: The Red Wall – What do both parties need to do to keep or gain seats in former Labour heartlands?
The 2019 election saw the collapse of the so-called ‘Red Wall’, as former Labour strongholds fell to the Conservatives. Now, they are a pivotal part of the electoral map: Labour need to regain them in order to seize power and the Conservatives’ majority rests on retaining these seats in the Midlands and the North of England. But what really defines a Red Wall seat? How do these constituencies sit within the parties’ wider electoral coalitions? What do voters in these areas really want?
- Lisa Nandy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Sebastian Payne, Whitehall Editor, Financial Times and author ofBroken Heartlands: A Journey Through Labour’s Lost England
- Antony Higginbotham MP, Conservative Party Vice-Chair for Levelling Up
10:15-11:00: Panel: Still special? US and UK relations in the era of Biden and Brexit
The election of US President Joe Biden caused a significant shift in UK-US relations. Biden has consistently backed Brussels over Britain in disputes about the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, the much-fêted post-Brexit trade deal with the US looks to be on the back burner. But what does all this mean for relations between the two countries? Is the UK a less valued partner to the US now that we are out of the EU? Can we build a deeper, lasting partnership now that we are free of the EU’s restrictions? Is the ‘special relationship’ a comforting sobriquet or a real partnership? How can the two countries make the most of their alliance as Global Britain takes the stage?
- Tom Tugendhat MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
- David Lammy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (subject to availability)
- Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs & International Development
11:00-11:30: Networking coffee break
11:30-12:15: Panel: What are the biggest threats to the UK’s national security and how can we tackle them?
From terrorism and pandemics to cyber attacks and international military crises, the challenges to the UK’s national security are significant and varied. In an era when Brexit has strained relations with our closest allies and the US is often focused on its domestic priorities, the path ahead for Britain is uncertain. How can the UK plan for the security implications of major accidents or natural hazards, such as pandemics? How can we strengthen international norms to help tackle those who threaten the UK and its interests? Where can investment be targeted to boost resilience and stability? What should the UK’s national security priorities be for the 2020s?
Confirmed speakers
- Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defence
- Dame Margaret Beckett, Chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy
- Dr Patricia Lewis, Director, International Security Programme, Chatham House
- Senior representative, BAE Systems
12:15-13:00: Panel: How can we solve the housing crisis and build homes that are fit for the future?
The shortage of housing is one of the biggest challenges that the country faces. And, although housing supply far exceeds demand, extensive house-building programmes alone will not end the crisis. How can policymakers, local authorities and industry work together to build affordable, safe and resilient homes? Where should house-building be focused to meet localised demand? In light of the Building Safety Bill and the heat and buildings strategy, how important is making homes safer and greener to regional growth?
Confirmed speakers
- Lord Greenhalgh, Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire
- Kath Scanlon, CASE Associate and Distinguished Policy Fellow, LSE
- Andy Bord, Chief Executive Officer, Flood Re
13:00-14:00: Lunch and networking
14:00-14:30: New Statesman Podcast: Live
14:30-15:00: Interview
15:00-15:30: Networking coffee break
15:30-16:30: Post-pandemic health policy: What next for the NHS?
The pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on the NHS. We have seen waiting times at their highest and performance levels at their worst during the crisis, and pre-existing health inequalities have been exacerbated. But the crisis has also demonstrated the importance of the NHS and medical expertise to our economy and society. What lessons can we learn from the pandemic and how should they shape public health policy going forward? How can we ensure that we have a world-leading public health service fit to face fresh challenges in the years to come? What can we do to prepare for the next crisis?
Confirmed speakers
- Jeremy Hunt MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee and former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
- Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
- Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Providers
- Senior representative, MSD
- Senior representative, McKesson
16:30-17:15: Panel: What is Johnsonism and will it outlast Boris Johnson?
Big promises, big spending, and big politics: these are the hallmarks of Johnson’s premiership. He and his government have committed themselves to an ambitious levelling up programme at home and a dominant role for Global Britain abroad, but what does this mean in practical terms? What is the essence of Johnsonism? Is this government capable of making good on the Prime Minister’s commitments? Will Johnson forge a new Conservative orthodoxy that will continue to shape the party for decades, or will Johnsonism fade as quickly as it emerged?
Confirmed speakers
- David Gauke, Former Lord High Chancellor
- Nikki da Costa, former Director of Legislative Affairs at No.10
- Mark Harper MP, Chair of the Covid Recovery Group
17:15-17:45: Professor Sarah Gilbert in conversation with the New Statesman
Confirmed speakers
- Professor Sarah Gilbert, Saïd Professorship of Vaccinology, Jenner Institute & Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford
17:45-18:00: Closing remarks
18:00-19:30: Drinks reception and networking
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