JRF at Labour Party Conference
Delegates can join JRF for discussions on economics, energy and housing at this year's Labour Party Conference.
In party conference season JRF attends these events to connect research with policymakers, sparking debate and fresh thinking on key social issues. This year we will hold discussions at the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green party conferences.
Our events
Cost of Living Populism: Is it a route to success for Labour?
Time and Location
Sunday 27 September, 4.45pm-5.45pm
LCEF Hub
Speakers
- Luke Tryl, More in Common
- Polly Billington MP, Minister for Energy Consumers
- Luke Murphy MP
- Darren Baxter, Principal Policy Adviser, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
As soaring energy bills reshape political loyalties and both the Greens and Reform make gains in Labour's key constituencies, what does cost-of-living populism mean for Labour - and is it a route to success? Join LCEF and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) to explore the politics of energy and affordability.
The Big Tax Debate
Time and location
Sunday 27 September, 5:15pm-6:15pm
Derwent Pod, ACC - Secure Zone
Speakers
- Chair: Duncan Robinson, The Economist
- Dame Wendy Carlin OBE, Co-Director of the Stone Centre at UCL
- Alfie Stirling, Director of Insight and Policy, JRF
- Rachael Henry, Head of Advocacy, IPPR
- Dr Jeevun Sandher MP
We bring together leading experts and the latest analysis on taxation to explore what a progressive agenda for reforming the UK tax system might look like. From capital gains tax to tax on investment income, and from tax cliff edges to inheritance tax, we’ll explore how reform can deliver fairer and more progressive outcomes while also driving growth and productivity.
For us all: social security for a future without the need for food banks
Time and location
Sunday 27 September, 8pm-11pm
Over the past two years, this Labour Government has taken significant steps to reduce poverty and hardship across the UK - from the introduction of the Renters Rights Act to the scrapping of the cruel two-child limit.
Yet, there is still so much more to be done.
People are still being pushed and trapped in poverty, unable to afford the essentials we all need to survive and thrive. Food banks are increasingly under pressure, with reduced donations not matching the scale of need in our communities.
And conflict abroad pushes up inflation and increases the risk of price shocks which drive up the cost of essentials.
Now, more than ever, we need a social security system which is there for us all, whenever we need it, and enables us all to afford the essentials. Yet this principle has never been under more pressure.
Join us to hear from Ministers, senior Labour MPs, Mayors, activists, and those who have direct experience of poverty, to find out what more needs to be done, and how this Government can take up the challenge to build a future where no one needs to turn to a food bank to survive.
This event is invite only, if you would like to attend, please email joe.farnworth@jrf.org.uk
Can Labour's politics of work speak to all workers?
Time and location
Monday 28 September, 8:30am-9:30am
Hilton Liverpool City Centre Hotel
The Employment Rights Act is a step forward in protections for many workers. However, some have missed out. The labour market is characterised by uneven protections, where some don’t get the protections they should have, and others – like the self-employed – get close to nothing. What is the political programme needed to protect all workers from insecurity in the modern labour market?
This event is invite only, if you would like to attend, please email joe.farnworth@jrf.org.uk
Ending the Rent Squeeze: The Case for Rent Controls with NEF and IPPR
Time and Location
Monday 28 September, 3pm–4pm
Grace Suite 2, Hilton Liverpool City Centre
Speakers
- Chair: Vicky Spratt, Housing & Society Correspondent, I News
- Dr Steve Akehurst, Director, Persuasion
- Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor of London
- Paul Dennett, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester
- Maya Bhardwaj, Campaigns Lead, London Renters' Union
- Rosie Worsdale, Senior Policy Adviser, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Renters are being squeezed by unaffordable rents. JRF, IPPR and NEF are advocating for rent controls — a cost-of-living intervention that can be delivered quickly and would save the Treasury money. Join us to hear the case for rent controls and how to design a scheme that delivers.
What's the problem with wealth inequality and what can we do about it?
Time and Location
Monday 28 September, 3pm–4pm
Museum of Liverpool
Good Growth in Towns
Time and Location
Monday 28 September, 4.15pm-5.15pm
Speakers
- Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP
- Leigh Ingham MP, Chair, Labour Towns Group
- Will Jennings, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
- Katie Schmuecker, Principal Policy Adviser, JRF
Towns are at the heart of our country’s economic success and social cohesion, but too often the 46% of our population living in those towns feel forgotten. Persistent challenges around employment, demographic change and connectivity continue to shape the prospects of towns across the country.
As the Government pursues a bold new agenda for devolution, we ask how we can drive good growth in towns and put them at the centre of our next economic story.
This panel brings together key voices from across the towns agenda to discuss these challenges and explore how we can build a stronger future for towns.
An alternative approach to reduce pressure on the social security system
Time and Location
Monday 28 September, 7.30pm-8.30pm
Inside the secure Zone
Our social security system is carrying too much of the cost of economic failures elsewhere. From worsening population health, a labour market that locks people out of good jobs – due to disability, ill health, lack of childcare, or stagnant economies – skills shortages, and a broken housing market.
Yet attempts to reform the social security system often don’t take these economic failures into account – focusing instead on limits to eligibility or reducing the level of support people are entitled to through the system.
This approach has proven to be counterproductive, leading to worsening employment prospects, increased hardship, and further cuts added to other public services.
New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell sets out an alternative, and publicly popular, approach to reducing pressure on our social security system, through tackling the root causes of economic insecurity that drive social security need.
This event is invite only, if you would like to attend, please email joe.farnworth@jrf.org.uk
A national care service: from vision to delivery
Time and Location
Tuesday 29 September, 10am-11am
Bluecoat Centre
Speakers
- Alison McGovern MP, Minister of State for Social Care
- Dr Anna Dixon MP, Member of Parliament for Shipley; Former Chair, Archbishop’s Commission on Reimagining Care
- Alfie Stirling, Director of Insight and Policy, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- James Watson O’Neill, Chief Executive, Sense
- Ben Cooper, Research Manager; Fabian Society; Co-Author, Support Guaranteed: The Roadmap to a National Care Service
This event will explore the case for a National Care Service as a central pillar of improving living standards in the UK. It will examine how reforming adult social care can reduce costs for individuals and families, support a more preventative and equitable system, and to put care on a sustainable footing into the long term.
Drawing on the new Fabian Society and Joseph Rowntree Foundation edited collection and research looking at the attitudes of Labour members from JRF, this panel will focus on how a National Care Service could be designed, funded and delivered in practice, and what role it should play in shaping a fairer social settlement.
The future of Social Democracy: How can we build an economy that benefits everyone? in partnership with IPPR & the New Statesman
Time and Location
Tuesday 29 September, 6pm-7pm
ACC (Inside the secure zone)
Speakers
- Torsten Bell MP, Minister of State for Pensions
- Andrew Lewin MP, PPS for the Dept of Business & Trade
- Zoe Billingham, IPPR
- Daisy Sands, JRF
Who is this event for?
This event is open to anybody attending the Labour Party Conference 2026.