2026 Events

Why populists are winning and how to beat them
13 May 2026

Speakers: Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill & Solihull North
Professor Sara Hobolt, Sutherland Chair in European Institutions and the Head of the Department of Government, LSE
Zoe Williams, Columnist, The Guardian

Chair:
Dr Andy Summers, Associate Professor of Law, LSE Law School and Faculty Associate, LSE III

In his latest book, Liam Byrne exposes the forces propelling the populist surge – and reveals how to stop it. He traces the millions flowing into Britain’s populist media-political complex. He maps the rhetoric populists use to weaponise fear and nostalgia. And he warns: democracies rarely collapse in normal times – they fall after the next crisis, when hope collapses. Why Populists Are Winning sets out a bold plan to rebuild the radical centre of Western politics. This event will draw connections between growing inequality and the populists’ clarion call for a ‘revolt against elites’. Our speakers will unveil the uncomfortable answers behind – and transformative strategies to tackle – the defining crises of our time.

Who is Britain really saving in the fight against modern slavery?
Hosted by the International Inequalities Institute and LSE Law School
6 May 2026

Speakers:
Liz Fekete, Director, Institute of Race Relations and Advisory Editor, Race & Class
Professor Insa Lee Koch, Professor, University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and Visiting Professor, LSE Law School
Kojo Kyerewaa, National Organiser, Black Lives Matter UK
Glodi Wabelua, Community advocate and host of the GloTalks podcast

Chair:
Professor Coretta Phillips, Professor of Criminology and Social Policy, LSE Department of Social Policy

As Black Lives Matter has exposed the legacies of transatlantic slavery and empire, Britain has launched a new moral crusade at home: the fight against “modern slavery.” This panel discussion marks the launch of Drugs, Race and the Politics of Modern Slavery Law by Insa Lee Koch and asks what this crusade is really doing. Central to the discussion is Glodi Wabelua, the first young man convicted under modern slavery laws for a county lines drugs offence. Bringing together ethnographic insights, leading anti-racism campaigners and lived experience, the event interrogates how modern slavery law deepens racial inequality while allowing Britain to deny its imperial past.

How stories can transcend borders and boxes of identity
Hosted by the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity
18 March 2026

Speakers:
Elif Shafak, Novelist and Storyteller
Lily Jamaludin, Writer and Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity

Chair:
Professor Armine Ishkanian, Executive Director, Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity; Professor, Department of Social Policy, LSE

By drawing upon multiple disciplines and weaving these threads into the broader practice of literary arts, the Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak offers an inspirational talk about our world today, the stories that bring us together, and the silences that keep us apart. For a long time, philosophers and artists have asked the question: how can we balance vita activa (the active life) and vita contemplativa (the contemplative life)? Now an additional challenge is added to the equation: vita apathetica (life of apathy/life without passions). Too much information causes an emotional and intellectual fatigue, exacerbating this state of apathy—numbness, indifference. Literature is the antidote to this state.

Finding the white working class in multicultural nationalism
12 March 2026

Speakers:
Professor John Denham, Professorial Research Fellow and Director of the Centre for English Identity and Politics, Southampton University
Professor Sara Hobolt, Sutherland Chair in European Institutions and Head of Deparment, LSE Department of Government
Professor Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King's College London; Director, UK in a Changing Europe
Dr Sam Taylor Hill, Programme Manager of the Orwell Youth Prize and IR Teaching Associate, University of Bristol

Chair:
Professor Mike Savage, Professorial Research Fellow, LSE III

As Reform UK gains traction among white working-class voters, Labour faces renewed pressure to define its national story. With the revival of ‘Blue Labour’ social conservatism, the party faces a defining challenge: can it tell a national story that includes everyone? This event explores how Labour’s electoral strategy reflects a zero-sum approach that struggles to hold together its diverse coalition. It develops the idea of multicultural nationalism as a more inclusive framework – one that seeks to bring both ethnic minorities and disaffected white working-class communities into a shared sense of belonging. Can Labour move beyond choosing between factions to build a pluralistic and cohesive vision of Britain?

Eco-social contracts for sustainable and just futures
Hosted by the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity and the Global School of Sustainability
18 February 2026

Speakers:
Dr Najma Mohamed, Head of Nature-Based Solutions, UNEP WCMC and Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity
Professor Manisha Desai, Executive Director, Center for Changing Systems of Power; Empowerment Trust Endowed Professor of Global Citizenship, Stony Brook University
Ashfaq Khalfan, Director, Sustainability Regulation Observatory (SRO); Distinguished Policy Fellow, Global School of Sustainability, LSE
Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland; former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; former Chair of The Elders

Chair:
Dr George Kunnath, Associate Professor (Education) and Academic Lead, Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity

At this event, you will hear from contributors of this ground breaking open-access volume presenting eco-social contracts as a bold and actionable vision for tackling the major, interconnected crises of our time—climate change, biodiversity loss, rising inequality, and the erosion of public trust and democratic legitimacy. At its core lies a crucial realisation that can no longer be ignored: the social contract has been broken for billions of people. Consequently, the bonds between people, the planet, and power need to be rewoven. Connecting theory and practice, the book offers essential insights into how regenerative, inclusive, and just futures can be co-created.

Women, nature, and 2030: a transformational global climate solution
20 January 2026

Speaker:
Zainab Salbi, Co-founder, Daughters for Earth; Founder, Women for Women International
Chair:
Professor Naila Kabeer, Emeritus Professor of Gender and Development, Department of International Development, LSE; Gender Justice and the Wellbeing Economy research programme leader, LSE III

Climate change is not gender-neutral — not in its impact on women and girls, nor in the solutions women are leading. This lecture will share new research revealing how women’s leadership is providing new pathways to address the climate crisis. By centring their relationship with nature and its protection, they are bringing about new behaviour changes and economic models that are leading to long-term transformations within communities. Their actions are transformative, positioning humans and communities as part of nature, not actors upon it.