Education in Britain is often full-time, and for those not on traditional routes to education, or who have other responsibilities such as caring, that can make access to it extremely difficult. This event will consider how the new Labour government can work in partnership with universities, higher and further education providers, and businesses to break down barriers to education.

We will consider the importance of flexible study including at evenings and weekends, how educational institutions can deal with competing demands on people’s time and help ensure that those who are classed as ‘older students’ who have gone into the work environment, can get access to the right experiences for long term progression.

Speakers

• Prof Ray Lloyd, CEO of Global Banking School

• Steve Race, MP for Exeter

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Gill German, MP for Clwyd North

• Lee Barron, MP for Corby & East Northamptonshire

• Harriet Butcher, Centrica

1.8 million people across the UK enrolled in further education last year – down from over 3 million just over a decade ago. This panel discussion will explore whether going to college can be a real alternative to university, and the power of further education to boost economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity.

Speakers

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Harpreet Uppal MP, Huddersfield

• Natasha Irons MP, Croydon East

• Liz Bromley, Chief Executive of NCG

• Angela Joyce, Chief Executive of Capital City College Group

AI is everywhere - but can it improve public services and cut waiting lists? This event will explore how AI in health can deliver better, faster outcomes for patients, cut waiting lists and tackle the deep-rooted health inequalities that still exist in Britain today.

Speakers

• Sarah Maling, Chair of Training at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists

• Ola Spencer, Spencer Technology Officer at Optegra

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Josh Simons, MP for Makerfield

• Dr Charlotte Refsum, Director of Health Policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

• William Harris, Principal AI Advisor at Druid AI

Climate change is already damaging to people’s health and prospects. Labour has committed to net-zero, and - if done in the right way - has the potential to tackle these deep-rooted inequalities. This event will explore how the new government can deliver equitable pathways to decarbonisation, to break down the barriers to opportunity and improve health and poverty outcomes.

Speakers

• Charlotte Carpenter, Karbon Homes

• Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin

• Jayne Kirkham, MP for Truro and Falmouth

• Prof Jane Falkingham CBE, University of Southampton

• Prof Craig Hutton, Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute

• James Alexander, Chief Executive of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association

• Prof Lindsay-Marie Armstrong, University of Southampton

In the aftermath of COVID-19, our NHS continues to suffer from significant staff shortages - with 121,000 full time equivalent vacancies across the UK. This panel discussion will explore how the new government can work in partnership to resolve staffing issues in a cost effective way in order to help to cut waiting lists, improve staff morale and patient outcomes as well as tackle health inequalities.

Speakers

• Paulette Hamilton, MP for Birmingham Erdington

• Peter Sheppard, Managing Director of NES Healthcare

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Preet Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston

• Tony Vaughan, MP for Folkestone and Hythe

• Justyn Tollyfield, NES Healthcare

The clean energy transition represents a huge opportunity to deliver warmer homes for all and tackle the cost-of-living crisis affecting the most vulnerable. The Warmer Homes Reception will explore how the new Labour government and business can work in partnership to ensure everyone has the energy security they need.

Speakers

• Bill Esterson MP, Chair of the Energy Security and Net-Zero Select Committee

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Chris Norbury, Chief Executive of E.ON

Join the Purpose Coalition and Hitachi for an in-depth discussion. Further details available on the Labour Party Conference App.

Speakers

• Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council (Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air)

• Harriet Butcher, Centrica

• Joe Morris, MP for Hexham

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Jim Brewin, Chief Director UK & Ireland of Hitachi Rail

• Julie Minns, MP for Carlisle

The class system in Britain is entrenched - it holds back opportunity and economic growth. Labour has promised to enact the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act, but how can it be done in a way that delivers better job opportunities, social justice, and a fairer society for all?

Speakers

• Sandy Begbie CBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise

• Gordon McKee, MP for Glasgow South

• Lord Walney, Chair

• Sean Duffy, CEO of The Wise Group

• Victoria Carson, Engagement and Influence Director of The Wise Group

In the new tech age the skills Britain needs are changing rapidly. This panel discussion will explore the need to bring together business, education experts, and policymakers to ensure people from all backgrounds can gain the skills they need to thrive, to drive economic growth and break down the barriers to opportunity.

Speakers

• Siobhan McArdle, Chair of the Tees Valley Business Board

• Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen

• Lord Walney, Chair

• Jordan Goble, Leonardo

• Fred Thomas, MP for Plymouth Moor View

Labour’s Five Missions for Government are ambitious, but they can only be delivered if government works in partnership across society. This event will explore the place of universities in the new Labour government’s agenda to tackle Britain’s biggest social challenges and break down the barriers to opportunity.

Speakers

• Peter Swallow, MP for Bracknell

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Professor Nic Beech, Vice Chancellor of Salford University

With an estimated need for 50,000 homes for older people to be built each year, increasing supply can help us live independently for longer and free up family-sized homes for younger generations. This event will discuss and explore how we can provide age appropriate, affordable and good quality housing, building homes where people can live healthier and longer in later life.

Speakers

• Sarah Jones, Chief Executive of Anchor

• Anna Dixon, MP for Shipley

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Anna Gelderd, MP for South East Cornwall

This panel discussion will explore how the new Labour government can work in partnership with higher education to grow the economy and train the doctors, nurses, and teachers our country needs to break down the barriers to opportunity.

Speakers

• Sam Rushworth, MP for Bishop Auckland

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Prof Eunice Simmons, Vice Chancellor of the University of Chester

Join the Purpose Coalition and Sodexo UK&I for our headline Labour Party Conference networking food and drink reception, celebrating how organisations can work in partnership with the Labour government to break down the barriers to opportunity across the UK. Attendance is by invite only.

Speakers

• Matt Dawson, Former Rugby International

• Sean Haley, CEO of Sodexo UK&I

• Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State for Skills

• Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending

• The Rt Hon Justice Greening, Chair of the Purpose Coalition

For more information, check the Labour Party Conference app.

Speakers

• Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East

• Nick Forbes CBE, Engagement Director at The Purpose Coalition

For further information, check the Labour Party Conference app.

Speakers

• Rain Newton Smith, Director General of the CBI

• Dr Shaid Mahmood, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) at Durham University

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Peter Swallow, MP for Bracknell

We know how important it is for young people to learn about money and how this can protect them from future financial harm. But financial education has little or no context if you do not have access to practical opportunities to use money in your everyday life. This event will explore the role of applied learning in boosting young people’s financial capability, increasing future productivity and breaking down the barriers to opportunity.

Speakers

• Sally Wiliams, Chief of Staff, Wealth and Personal Banking at HSBC UK

• Rachel Taylor, MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth

• Lord Walney, Chair

• Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise

• Tim Roca, MP for Macclesfield

• Darcy Holmes, Scouts

A new Labour government gives us a chance to break down barriers to opportunity. Over the last decade, state and private sector investment in skills has declined by 19%. This event will explore the responsibility of employers to equip people with the skills they need, and drive growth.

Speakers

• Nick Costa, CEO of Ramsay Health Care UK

• Alex Ballinger, MP for Halesowen

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• Mel Lindley, Head of School of Allied Health and Social Care at the University of Derby

• Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge

Following the election of a new Labour government in 2024 and their commitment to the establishment of Great British Railways, the railway sector is poised for significant transformation. This event will explore what it means for the rail sector, and how our railways can support evolving passenger habits and the customer experience.

Speakers

• Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners

• Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director, Open Access Rail Operations at Lumo and Hull Trains

• Lord Walney, Chair

• Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee

Join the Purpose Coalition and Staffordshire University for an in depth panel discussion. Further details available on the Labour Party Conference App.

Speakers

• Tom Hayes, MP for Bournemouth East

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• David Burton-Sampson, MP for Southend West & Leigh

• Prof Annabel Kiernan, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Staffordshire University

This event builds on recent polling carried out by the TUC that found that 1 in 2 LGBT+ people have experienced bullying or harassment in the workplace over the last five years. More than a quarter (28%) have said they have had homophobic, biphobic or transphobic remarks directed at them or made in their presence and – shockingly – one in twenty have experienced physical violence, threats or intimidation because of their sexual orientation.

This event and discussion will aim to build on the findings of the research to consider how employers need to change workplace culture, to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Speakers

• Lily Soaper, Co-Chair of LGBT+ Labour

• Rachel Taylor, MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth

• Nick Forbes CBE, Chair

• James Asser, MP for West Ham and Beckton

• Maria Exall, Former President of the TUC