Can poverty be eradicated? If so, why haven't we managed it yet?

Join us for this important discussion as our panel each presents their thoughts. Our audience are invited to contribute to the discussion as we unpick this difficult question. This event is inspired by the life, work and legacy of George Lansbury (1859–1940). A pioneering campaigner for peace, women’s rights, local democracy and improvements in labour conditions, Lansbury was an adopted East Ender who made a great contribution to local as well as national life.

Meet our speakers and chair

Claire Harding is Research Director at Centre for London. She joined the Centre in 2020 and is responsible for their research programme. Before joining Centre for London, she worked at Coram Family and Childcare. Claire has also previously worked in mental health and local government consultancy.

Dave Hill (@DaveHill) has been a freelance journalist for over 40 years and runs the website onlondon.co.uk. He is writing a book about the pandemic in London. 

Manny Hothi (@Hothi) is Chief Executive of Trust for London. He has extensive experience of working with low-income communities across the country, during a career that has been split between being a grant-seeker and a grant-maker. He has worked on a range of social issues related to life in low-income communities, and poverty more broadly.

Stewart Lansley is a Visiting Fellow in the Centre for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, a Council Member of the Progressive Economy Forum, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is the author of The Richer, the Poorer, How Britain Enriched the Few and Failed the Poor, a 200-year history.

Ruth Lister is a Labour peer and Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at Loughborough University. She's a former director of the Child Poverty Action Group and its current honorary president and is the author of Poverty.

Lucinda Platt (@PlattLucinda) is a Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at LSE and the Head of the Department of Social Policy. Professor Platt’s research focuses on the analysis of inequality within and between social groups, and she is currently a panel member for the IFS Deaton Inequality Review.

More about this event

This event marks the George Lansbury Memorial Trust’s annual lecture; organised on a theme closely related to the work of Lansbury. 

This event forms part of LSE’s Understanding the UK Economy series, showcasing research and expertise on the state of the UK economy and its future.

For those attending in person, please join us for some light refreshments in the foyer after the talk.

The Department of Social Policy (@LSESocialPolicy) provides top quality international and multidisciplinary research and teaching on social and public policy challenges facing countries across the world. From its foundation in 1912 it has carried out cutting edge research on core social problems, and helped to develop policy solutions.

The British Library of Political and Economic Science (@LSELibrary) was founded in 1896, a year after the London School of Economics and Political Science. It has been based in the Lionel Robbins Building since 1978 and houses many world class collections, including The Women's Library. The Library also holds the archives of George Lansbury, CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) and many other archives relating to the theme of poverty. These archives are open to all. The first two volumes of the Lansbury papers have now been digitised and are available to consult online.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSELansbury2022

A podcast of this event is available to download from How Do We Eradicate Poverty?

A video of this event is available to watch at How Do We Eradicate Poverty?

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.