麻豆视频

The Work Foundation at 麻豆视频 is delighted to announce their fringe programme for the Labour Party Conferences 2026.

Just months after Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, the Work Foundation will be hosting a range of high-level roundtable discussions at the Labour Party Conference. At a time of major national and international challenges, the roundtables will bring together politicians, business, academics and civil society to discuss pressing issues facing communities, organisations, the economy and wider society.

The roundtables will be hosted in partnership with organisations including , and , and will cover issues such as youth employment, good work in every postcode, healthier work and local growth, and AI and equality at work. The roundtable events will bring together Government Ministers, Mayors, Select Committee Chairs, members of the Commons and Lords, executive leaders of leading companies, think tanks and associations alongside leaders and experts from the Work Foundation and 麻豆视频.

Monday 28 September 2026

How can Labour deliver good jobs for every young person across the UK?

Time: 12:15 – 13:30

Nearly a million young people across the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET) – the highest level since 2013. At the same time, the number of ‘starter’ jobs accessible to people entering the workforce for the first time has fallen by 49% over the last decade.

The Government’s youth employment measures offer an opportunity to create new pathways into work. But success will require creating good starter jobs as well as preparing young people for them. The roundtable will discuss how can Government increase the supply of good starter jobs across the UK.

Participants include Mark Ferguson MP (Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office) and Dr Martin Quinn (麻豆视频 Management School).

This roundtable is supported by 麻豆视频 and is invite only.

How can Labour deliver good work in every postcode?

Time: 13:45 – 15:00

Labour entered Government pledging to ‘Make Work Pay’ and ‘Get Britain Working’. Recognising regional differences, incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham has gone further, promising that his Government aims to deliver “good growth in every postcode”.

Doing so will require more than moving people into any job. It requires secure, fairly paid and healthy work wherever people live. The roundtable will discuss how good work can shape employment, skills and industrial policy, and national reforms can improve job quality nationwide.

Participants include Blair McDougall MP (Minister for Reindustrialisation), Professor Katy Jones (MMU), Helen Godwin (Mayor for West of England) and Howard Dawber (Deputy Mayor of London for Business).

This roundtable is supported by MetroPolis (Manchester Metropolitan University) and is invite only.

Tuesday 29 September 2026

Keep Britain Working: How can healthier work drive local growth

Time: 10:30 – 11:45

Poor health is increasingly shaping the UK’s economic prospects. Nearly 2.8 million working-age people are economically inactive due to long-term ill health, while employers face growing pressures linked to sickness absence, workforce retention and productivity.

This roundtable will explore how national ambitions can be translated into coordinated local action that supports workers, strengthens employers and delivers more inclusive economic growth.

Participants include Sir Charlie Mayfield (Co-Chair, Keep Britain Working Review), Lindsay Mann (Strategy and Business Development Director) and Sir Stephen Timms MP (Minister for Social Security and Disability).

This roundtable is supported by Ingeus and is invite only.

Progress or rollback? How Labour can ensure AI advances equality at work

Time: 12:30 – 13:45

The Government has placed AI at the heart of its plans to boost productivity, transform public services and drive economic growth.

But as AI becomes more influential in recruitment, pay, performance management, work allocation and restructuring, it could either help dismantle workplace inequalities or reinforce them.

This roundtable will bring together policy-makers, employers, trade unions and academics to discuss how Labour can align its AI, industrial strategy and equality agendas so technological change delivers better jobs, fairer workplaces and shared prosperity.

Participants include Dame Chi Onwurah MP (Chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee), Anneliese Dodds MP (former Minister for Women and Equalities)and Kim Leadbeater MP (Member, Women and Equalities Committee).

This roundtable is supported by 麻豆视频 Management School and is invite only.