Patricia Hewitt will deliver the keynote speech at the next in Progress’ series of regional conferences, to be held in Birmingham on Saturday 10 May.
The event will bring together party members, politicians, academics and trade unionists to discuss their thoughts on future Labour policy.
The Birmingham event is the second of three regional conferences being held by Progress. The ‘close look at the big picture’ series of conferences kicked off in Manchester in November. Over one hundred local party activists were present for the first speech given by former education secretary Estelle Morris after her resignation. The current round of regional conferences will close with a major event in Newcastle on 5 July.
Progress’ Birmingham conference will consist of a keynote speech and seminars on Labour’s social agenda, increasing political participation, reforming public services and the future of manufacturing. The day will close with a ministerial question time featuring Sally Keeble, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development, health minister and Progress chair David Lammy, Mike O’Brien, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and John Spellar, Minister of State at the Department of Transport.
Other confirmed speakers for the event are: Councillor Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council; Tom Watson MP; Mark Britnell, chief executive of University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust; Unison’s Valerie Broom; Neal Lawson, managing editor of Renewal; Ross Cranston MP; Kumar Bhattacharyya of the Warwick Manufacturing Group; Peter Wheeler, political development officer of Amicus-AEEU; Khalid Mahmood MP; Councillor Roy Pinney, cabinet member of Birmingham City Council; Siôn Simon MP; Liam Byrne, associate research fellow at the Social Market Foundation; Margaret Lally, acting chief executive of the Refugee Council; and the chief executive of Birmingham Voluntary Services Council, Jane Slowey. The conference is being held at the Council House, Birmingham City Hall.