You are here: Home » Archives »

James Purnell takes on ippr chair role

July 20, 2010 4:10 pm

Author:

Share this Article

James PurnellBy Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

James Purnell has been announced as the new Chair of ippr. This comes as something of a surprise, as recent speculation has suggested that David Miliband was poised to make Purnell his chief of staff should he become Labour leader. Purnell could seek to balance those two roles, although this now seems unlikely.

The former MP and Secretary of State takes over from John Makinson who has been chair of ippr since 2007.

James will assume the role of Chair at the beginning of September.

Speaking this afternoon, Purnell said:

“I am thrilled to be taking on the role of chair at ippr, an organisation I know well and once worked for. ippr has always been at the heart of the debate about progressive politics in Britain, and has a vital role to play in the new political landscape.

“This is a critical time in our politics. Following election defeat, Labour is choosing a new leader and starting the process of coming up with new policies. ippr will be central to the debates about how the centre left rebuilds and becomes a stronger force for change. At the same time, the new coalition government has made much of its commitment to progressive ideas. ippr has good relations with the new administration and we will be working just as hard to influence policy in this government as the last.”

Related posts:

  1. James Purnell to stand down as MP
  2. James Purnell and the renewal of the Labour left – better late than never
  3. James Purnell calls for radical solutions but gives only old answers
  4. Live chat with James Purnell on what it means to be on the left
  5. Tweets from James Purnell speech on renewing centre-left ideology

Comments are closed

Latest

  • Featured Becoming a Living Wage City – an ambition worth having

    Becoming a Living Wage City – an ambition worth having

    By Ian Stewart

    A cleaner met me on the corridor the other day as I was leaving the office and gave me a huge hug. “Thank you, City Mayor,” she told me “that’s been the best news for years.” After I had recovered from my embarrassment, I realised what she was talking about. Salford had just introduced the full Living Wage – becoming the first local authority in Greater Manchester to implement a full Living Wage of £7.45 for every member of staff [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment Planning the revolution – Labour and the Spending Review

    Planning the revolution – Labour and the Spending Review

    By David Robinson

    In four weeks time the Chancellor will announce the results of the 2015 spending Review. There won’t be many winners but some will have lost more than others. Political commentators and discussion forums will pass judgement and public sector managers will, yet again, pick through the debris, making do and mending from what ever they can salvage. Before we get overtaken by the detail we should reflect on the bigger picture. What ever the chancellor says on June 26th it [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment A call for action at the G8

    A call for action at the G8

    By Ivan Lewis

    In less than a month’s time, the UK hosts the G8 Summit. With hunger, tax, trade and transparency all on the agenda, the UK has a unique opportunity to show global leadership on these issues. The scale of hunger is devastating. There is enough food in the world for everyone, yet 1 billion people still go hungry. 2.3 million children every year die from malnutrition – to put that in perspective, that is around 16,000 children every day. Or one [...]

    Read more →
  • News TUC suggests Football World Cup vote should be re-run – Media roundup: May 24th, 2013

    TUC suggests Football World Cup vote should be re-run – Media roundup: May 24th, 2013

    Subscribers to our morning email get the best of LabourList – including the Media and blog round up – every weekday morning. If you were a subscriber you would have already received this in your inbox. You can sign up here. TUC suggests Football World Cup vote should be re-run “The TUC along with its international equivalent – the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) – is calling on UEFA to address the appalling treatment of workers and players in Qatar and [...]

    Read more →
  • Featured A Northern Tory that Labour should be afraid of

    A Northern Tory that Labour should be afraid of

    By Mark Ferguson

    The Labour Party spends a great deal of time beating itself up over its performance in Southern England. We know it simply isn’t good enough, but we can’t seem to put our finger on why exactly that’s the case. Is it demographics? No. Culture? Perhaps. Lack of basic party organisation in some areas? It’s certainly a factor. But whilst we’re flagellating ourselves over our inability to perform south of the Watford gap (outside of London), we should remember that the [...]

    Read more →