‘The Labour ecosystem is thriving – and has the ideas that can ensure the government does too’

Last weekend I was covering the Fabian Society conference for LabourList. Speakers included secretaries of state, senior ministers, the deputy leader of the Labour Party and the Mayor of London. The timing of a conference focused on policy was mildly unfortunate, given that many conversations were inevitably waylaid by discussions of Andy Burnham’s fate. But while that came up repeatedly, so too did serious debate about government policy, direction and how Labour should deliver on its goals.

What I felt in that room was the passion, energy and enthusiasm of a movement. People willing Labour to succeed in government, but nervous that it is not always living up to its own expectations. What I saw was a group of people who disagreed on some specifics but were united in purpose. And what I heard were ideas that could give this government a clearer collective shape – a story it could tell about itself that would be both authentic and powerful.

It matters that this conference was held by the Fabians. The Fabian Society is the only think tank formally affiliated to the Labour Party. Its slogan – “the future of the left since 1884” – is not just branding. It is a nod to its real history (not the nonsense online conspiracy theories) in helping to form the Labour Party and in developing the ideas that made it a viable, cohesive and powerful political party. 

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That is why we are delighted at LabourList to be partnering with the Fabians on a new series of online In conversation… events. These will feature deep discussions with people who have played vital roles in Labour politics over recent years and decades, offering their insights into Labour’s past, their thoughts on its near and distant future, and – crucially – their wit, warmth and wisdom. Don’t miss our first event with Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.

JOIN LABOURLIST ‘IN CONVERSATION’ WITH STEVE ROTHERAM ON 3rd FEB at 17.15

There are already plenty of things this government is doing that clearly originated in Fabian research. But there are other ideas that could – and should – have been taken further. The most glaring example for me is the work done in 2023 on what a National Care Service should look like, and the roadmap for delivering it. They do excellent research that aligns, as far as possible, with the government’s stated aims, while also digging into the hard detail of how those aims could actually be achieved. From devolution to housing, from local transport to the modern workforce and how to ensure it thrives alongside the economy, there is a wealth of developed policy thinking the government should be drawing on.

But the Fabians are far from alone. There are many other think tanks producing serious, important work – Labour Together, IPPR, Resolution Foundation and plenty more are also working on the progressive ideas that will help shape progressive thinking in the UK and beyond. There are also 19 other Labour-affiliated socialist societies, from the Labour Housing Group to SERA, Labour’s Environment Campaign, and Labour Campaign for International Development – all made up of experts and campaigners desperate to lend their expertise to Labour’s success.

A common critique of the current government is that, while it planned the election almost as spectacularly well as it executed it, it did not do enough to prepare for what would come after victory. But many other organisations did – and still do.

Of course, the government has the civil service to ensure policies are deliverable within government. But it is not the civil service’s job to generate new policy ideas. Nor, as neutral and non-political actors, is it their role to think through the hard politics of building and delivering a coherent policy platform.

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That is why Labour’s policy infrastructure – from the Fabians to the Labour Animal Welfare Society – is such a unique and valuable resource. And it is why the wider ecosystem of think tanks and organisations working on progressive policy matters so much. They can offer something the civil service never can – and never should. They can blend depth of research with a perspective that is informed by progressive values to ensure robust pathways to progressive outcomes. 

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The government can and should take full advantage of the work being done across this ecosystem, drawing out both the best ideas and the best ways of ensuring those ideas complement one another. My hope is that the Labour Party recognises the extraordinary depth of talent it has, quite literally throwing ideas in its direction, and finds a way to act as a cooperative convenor of that talent finding imaginative ways to engage ever more deeply and consistently. 

If Labour work with this ecosystem openly, constructively and honestly it can have proper well informed dialogue that creates a new energy around not just the big policy ideas but the best ways to deliver them. And the ecosystem too must engage in that process in good faith – understanding the day to day conflicting pressures that come with being the democratically elected politicians who must deliver such ideas in a reality that is less perfectly shaped than a seminar room would like it to be. 

It is through this collective endeavour that Labour will succeed in government – and build a platform capable of delivering on the decade of transformation and national renewal it has promised.

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