2016-17 ANNUAL REPORT Chair’s report Kate Green MP Chair, Fabian Society n what has been the most remarkable year in elected this June, giving a total of 305 Fabian Ipolitics, both here in the UK and abroad, the members of the House of Commons and House Fabians have continued to do what we’re rightly of Lords. renowned for: rigorous, principled, innovative In my first year as chair, my greatest policy thinking. Our work this year has focused pleasure has been meeting and attending on some of the most important public policy events with our members. Our local societies challenges of our time, from our future role in go from strength to strength, and in Scotland, Europe, to the changing face of work, to the the appointment of a new staff member has environment, to the kind of society we wish to live enabled us to significantly increase our activity in. With a Labour government again in prospect, and impact. Fabian Women, the Fabian policy the Fabians are eager and excited to play our part networks and Young Fabians have a full in helping to shape the agenda of an incoming programme of activities, and make a huge Labour administration, and our reports have contribution to the society. presented a wide range of new, imaginative and Our national conferences have, as ever, pragmatic policy solutions which we have been proven to be stimulating, popular and hugely very pleased to share and debate with senior enjoyable, attracting top-flight national Labour politicians. and international speakers, As befits our position as including, again, at our New longstanding members of the Politics will need the Year conference, the leader Labour family, this year we have of the Labour party, Jeremy also turned the spotlight on our Fabians more than ever Corbyn. We hold a full internal party organisation. We programme of party conference were delighted to celebrate the in the months ahead fringe events - and we don’t contribution of Labour women forget the social side, with our politicians in our pamphlet This local societies’ parliamentary Woman Can, marking the 20th anniversary of tea party, and our reception at the Labour the election of 101 Labour women MPs in 1997. conference. But our work on how the party needs to do more All this activity, and our continuing to become more diverse and inclusive for the influence, could not be achieved without our 21st century makes for uncomfortable reading - amazing committee members, and especially it couldn’t be more important, and we hope our our wonderful staff. I pay huge tribute to all recommendations will be taken forward by the of them, but especially to my predecessor as party executive. chair, Seema Malhotra, and to our general As we progress on the path to government, secretary Andy Harrop and deputy general we have also looked in detail at the changing secretary Olivia Bailey. nature of Labour’s support, and what we need An enormous thank you to all of you who to do to secure power. And if some of our earlier have given your support and commitment predictions of electoral outcomes turned out to to the society this year. Politics will need the be a little wide of the mark, we can take comfort Fabians more than ever in the months ahead, from the fact that nearly no one predicted the and I look forward to continuing to work with spectacular result in the 2017 general election! you. The society - and Fabians up and down the country - threw ourselves into campaigning when the snap election was called, and we are very pleased that 15 new Fabian MPs were 2 | Annual report 2016-17 Chair’s report General secretary’s report Andrew Harrop General secretary, Fabian Society wo remarkable political events formed the prevent either ‘fewer’ jobs or ‘worse’ jobs in Tbookends for our 2016/17 reporting year - the British retail. The second, the Bach Commission EU referendum and the surprise June election. on access to justice, published its interim report Inevitably, the Brexit vote shaped our political in the autumn and concluded its work shortly programme for the 12 months. As well as regular after the end of the reporting year. It highlighted Fabian Review commentary online and in print, the crisis in access to justice and called for an the society published two reports on the shape expanded right to justice. that a ‘progressive’ Brexit might take. One of There were smaller projects, on social them hit the headlines by kicking off the Labour security, integration and green devolution. But party’s debate on migration, with a group of the society’s other major initiative during the prominent remain-supporting MPs calling for year was the Changing Work Centre, which is curbs on free movement. co-delivered with Community and chaired by The society’s broader work on the UK’s place Yvette Cooper MP. The centre published three in the world and our future constitutional order publications on the changing labour market, saw us host a major lecture on federalism by workers’ aspirations and employment for Gordon Brown. We also published reports on disabled people. foreign policy in the age of President Trump and In all we published 20 reports during the year, on democratic reforms to increase engagement in as well as the quarterly Fabian Review which politics. has continued to thrive under its new editor, Then, the snap election dominated the final Kate Murray. And we welcomed almost 4,000 three months of our year. Several projects people to more than 30 events, including our were postponed as Fabian staff and volunteers biggest and best Labour conference programme dedicated their time to the election campaign. in recent times. Dozens of Fabians stood as candidates, including All of this was delivered by our small team our research director, Olivia Bailey in Reading of incredibly talented and dedicated staff. I West. The election saw 15 new Fabian MPs give them all my heartfelt thanks. This year returned, among them two former members of we added to our staff complement with the the executive committee. appointment of Katherine Sangster, as our first Before the election was called, Jeremy Corbyn national manager for the Scottish Fabians: our addressed our New Year conference, calling contribution to Labour’s renewal in Scotland. for action to tackle a system rigged against low We also welcomed Robin Harvey and said income families. Our own work on the future of farewell to Ed Wallis, Caitlin Griffith Otway and the left focused particularly on diversity issues, Tara Paterson. with reports on LGBT and BAME representation But the Fabian Society is so much more than within Labour and a highly praised essay a team of employees. Our membership of 7,300 collection on the contribution of Labour women is close to its all-time high and the quality and since the breakthrough of 1997’s election. The quantity of volunteer-led activity is remarkable, society did its best to practice what we preach: from local Fabian societies to the Young Fabians, during the year more than half our writers and Fabian Women, the Scottish Fabians and speakers were women. now also new member interest groups. I am Away from party politics, the society hosted particularly grateful to our elected executive two important policy commissions. The first, committee and for the support and cheerleading the society’s taskforce on the future of retail, of the two wonderful chairs who served during reported in January. It concluded that active the year, Seema Malhotra MP and Kate Green government leadership will be essential to MP. Annual report 2016-17 | 3 Scottish Fabians Catriona Munro Chair, Scottish Fabians cottish Fabians have gone from strength its secretary this past year, Ann to take up an Sto strength in 2016-17. In late 2016, we ran exciting new post and Thomas to complete his a successful conference in Edinburgh. John PhD. Denham opened the conference with a keynote However, we were delighted to welcome speech focusing on identity politics. There was Margaret Curran and Frankie Grant in addition then a lively panel session chaired by Sarah to Drew Smith, Scott Nicholson and Joe Long. Boyack, followed by breakouts, and Ian Murray We are able to do more in Scotland because we MP wrapped up the day. have Katherine Sangster as a member of Fabian Following that event, two Glasgow Fabians staff to support and grow the Scottish Fabians. have been spearheading There is a desperate a group of thinkers who We want to ensure that an need for policy are producing pieces of development in Scotland work on Scotland’s future understanding of Scotland and and amongst Fabian outside the EU. This will members an obvious form the basis of a further its politics are factored into desire for a forum in conference in late 2017. which to consider the At Scottish Labour everything that the Fabians do at pressing issues we party conference in face. We hope that with March, Brian Wilson UK level Katherine on board, the and Jenny Marra MSP Scottish Fabians can discussed whether Scotland should keep talking make a real contribution to making Scottish about the constitution or make devolution Labour again a force to be reckoned with in deliver. The event proved so popular that it was Scottish politics. standing room only. There is an urgent and pressing need for clear Immediately after the June election we held and careful policy on the left as we leave the EU a panel event with some of our new Scottish and the world is increasingly uncertain. At the Labour MPs as well as candidates who just same time, the Scottish parliament has vastly missed out (on this occasion).