At a time when voter turnout and trust in politics is at a record low, further polarised by the ongoing Brexit saga, how will the Labour party offer a restorative and meaningful solution to what feels like a broken democracy? 

A recent poll by the Hansard Society found that 63% of people feel the UK's system of government is rigged to the advantage of the rich and powerful. And 47% of those questioned believed they had no influence at all over national decision-making. In an attempt to remedy this, the Citizens' Convention on UK Democracy is preparing to launch a two-year nationwide exercise, asking the public to come up with ideas to change how UK politics works. 

But what must Labour do to re-engage the working class communities the party was founded to represent? For too long, democratic reform has been seen as the niche preoccupation of political geeks and Lib Dem sympathisers. But not only does this view do a disservice to Labour’s long history of advocating democratic reform, it is also dangerously dismissive of the perilous state of our democracy. 

Speakers include:
Lisa Nandy MP
Howard Beckett (Unite)
Jess Garland	(Electoral Reform Society)
Rokshana Fiaz OBE (Mayor of Newham)

Democracy broken: Can Labour save politics from itself?

Yvette Cooper Keynote.WMA

Angela Rayner Keynote SC19.WMA

Jon Ashworth Keynote.WMA

The Fabian Society is Britain’s oldest political think tank. Founded in 1884, the Society is at the forefront of developing political ideas and public policy on the left. 