20th September 2008

At the 2008 Labour Party Conference  the Fabian Society (in partnership with Barnado's and End Child Poverty) hosted a public fringe debate entitled Can Middle England Care About Equality?

Speakers were Liam Byrne (then Immigration Minister), Martin Narey (Barnado’s), Iain Duncan Smith (Centre for Social Justice), Polly Toynbee (Guardian), and Dianne Hayter. The panel discussed the electoral pressures on anti-poverty policy and asked if Labour could win the next election and take the necessary steps to meet its 2020 target to end child poverty. The session also explored what types of welfare policies for tackling poverty could be both effective and politically popular.

Highlights from the event were reported on the Fabian Society's blog, Next Left.

The event was kindly supported by Webb Memorial Trust, Bardnados, Centre for Social Justice and End Child Poverty.