
Manifest: Understanding The General Election 2024
The build up to the next UK general election has started. The polls predict either an outright win for Labour or a majority for a coalition of progressive parties. Quietly, in the background, political parties are starting to pull together their manifestos. This begs the question: what promises will they make and will they be bold enough to manifest the change the country needs?
The build up to the next UK general election has started. The polls predict either an outright win for Labour or a majority for a coalition of progressive parties. Quietly, in the background, political parties are starting to pull together their manifestos. This begs the question: what promises will they make and will they be bold enough to manifest the change the country needs?
IPPR and the Conduit will partner to create a new events series leading up to the general election that gives Conduit members an insight into the world of politics.
We will ask and answer:
What are the big policy debates that will shape the election?
What are the political parties likely to say about these in their manifestos?
What are the bold ideas that we need them to be committing to?
Our first event of the series, Manifesting: a how-to guide, will bring together speakers to explain what manifestos are and how they are made – from their own personal experience.
We’ll explore the role of political party manifestos in electoral campaigns and voter decision-making, alongside their role in shaping public opinion and the national policy debate. Through examining some past successful – and some less successful – examples we’ll discuss the process and key elements that go in to crafting an effective manifesto and their use in communicating a party’s vision.
Speakers:
David Miliband had a distinguished political career in the United Kingdom. From 2007 to 2010, he served as the 74th Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, representing the United Kingdom throughout the world. His accomplishments have earned him a reputation, in former President Bill Clinton’s words, as “one of the ablest, most creative public servants of our time.” In 2016 David was named one of the World’s Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine and in 2018 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. David is also the author of the book, Rescue: Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time. As the son of refugees, David brings a personal commitment to the IRC’s work, where he is currently President and CEO, and to the premise of the book: that we can rescue the dignity and hopes of refugees and displaced people, and if we help them, in the process we will rescue our own values.
Harry Quilter-Pinner is the director of research and engagement at IPPR. Harry heads up our research, policy and influencing work in Westminster. Prior to this Harry was associate director for work and the welfare state at IPPR. He co-founded and headed up our flagship Better Health and Care programme and was lead author on the independent cross-party Lord Darzi review which shaped the NHS Long-Term Plan and recent NHS funding settlement. He has also led the organisations work on austerity and public spending, and contributed to research on education, welfare and environmental policy. Harry writes regularly for the Guardian, Times, Independent, Telegraph, i paper, and New Statesman, as well as appearing on radio and tv, including Sky News and BBC News. He was previously director of strategy at SCT, a homelessness and addictions charity and has worked at Global Counsel, a consultancy firm, and at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). He has a degree in economics from the University of York.
Claire Ainsley is Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal at the Progressive Policy Institute. Prior to joining PPI, Claire was the Executive Director of Policy to Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition and the U.K. Labour Party, 2020-22. Claire also served as the Executive Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, where she led JRF’s work on the social and political attitudes of people with low incomes. She is the author of “The New Working Class: How to Win Hearts, Minds and Votes,” which was published in May 2018. Claire is a trustee of Involve, the public participation charity.
Carys Roberts is the executive director of IPPR. Prior to taking up the role, she was the chief economist and head of the Centre for Economic Justice at IPPR. Carys was a key contributor to the final report of the Commission on Economic Justice, Prosperity and Justice, leading on the analysis in the report and recommendations relating to wealth, automation and labour markets. Carys has appeared on national and regional broadcast media, including Radio 4, Radio 5Live, Talk Radio, LBC, BBC Breakfast and Sky All Out Politics. She has written for a range of online and print publications, including for the Guardian, and her research has generated front-page headlines. She sits on the editorial advisory board of the journal Renewal, and is a member of the advisory group for Rebuilding Macroeconomics as well as the steering group of the Economic Change Unit. Carys joined IPPR in 2015. She previously worked at the RSA, the Social Mobility Foundation, the IFS and in charity impact evaluation. She holds an MSc Social Policy (Research) from LSE, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.
Miranda Green is a journalist and commentator who has worked at the Financial Times for most of the last 20 years. She is currently deputy opinion editor and writes columns on politics, education and society. She was winner of the 2018 Social Commentator of the Year award, and appears regularly on broadcast media talking about UK politics. In the 1990s she worked for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons, and for Paddy Ashdown as press secretary for the last two years of his time as party leader.
Adam Hawksbee is Deputy Director of the centre-right think tank Onward. His work focuses on increasing economic growth and strengthening communities across the UK, and he has published research on a range of topics including empowering regional mayors, tackling antisocial behaviour and reforming technical education. He was previously Head of Policy to Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands. Adam is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was a Kennedy Fellow, and has worked with US Mayors as a Research Fellow at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and during a period at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations.
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