UCL made its mark at this year's political party conferences, bringing academic insight, student voices, and policy innovation to the forefront of national debate.
Representatives from UCL leadership, UCL Policy Lab, UCL Business, and Students' Union UCL all took part, engaging with policymakers and helping to shape important UK conversations.
With opportunities to meet government officials, MPs, advisers, and journalists, the annual party conferences provide an invaluable opportunity for UCL leaders, academics and students to influence and inform key policy discussions.
Dr Michael Spence (UCL President & Provost) was joined by Kirsty Walker (Vice-President External Engagement), Professor Geraint Rees (Vice-Provost Research, Innovation & Global Engagement), and Professor Ibrahim Abubakar (Vice Provost Health) at the Labour party conference in Liverpool last week.
The Provost spoke on a flagship panel hosted by the UCL Policy Lab think-tank exploring how universities can help support national renewal and local pride. The panel presented compelling new polling and analysis on what the public perceives the purpose of universities to be.
Also in Liverpool, Professor Abubakar spoke on a UCL Policy Lab panel entitled 'A better future for the NHS'. He and the other panellists - Dr Dan Honig (UCL Political Science), Dr Fran Zanatta (UCL Epidemiology & Health), and Stephen Kinnock MP (Minister of State for Care) - discussed how the NHS can drive innovation and opportunity through reform, investment, and innovative thinking. The panel was chaired by Dr Libby Sallnow (UCL Psychiatry)
Professor Rees chaired a private breakfast roundtable with the Dr Anne Lane (CEO, UCL Business), Amy Lightstone (Director, UCL London Office),UCL Policy Lab and Chris Curtis MP (Chair of the Labour Growth Group) on Euston as a place - and how we unlock inclusive growth through innovation.
The UCL Policy Lab hosted a packed programme of events at the Labour and Conservative party conferences, with high-profile guests including Andy Burnham (Mayor of Manchester), Ed Miliband MP (Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change), Richard Hermer KC (Attorney General), and Kim McGuinness (Northeast Mayor).
Professor Marc Stears (Director, UCL Policy Lab) also provided analysis of the Prime Minister's speech keynote speech, with his reflections on the conference available on the UCL Policy Lab website.
Students' Union UCL were also at the Labour party conference, with Anam Eijaz Choudhary (Students' Union President) and Sarah Jilani (Students' Union Education Officer) in attendance. Students' Union UCL ran a number of events in their role as secretariat for Russell Group Students' Unions, ensuring student voices were front and centre, and provided their reflections on the government's decision to reintroduce maintenance grants for some students.
At the Conservative party conference in Manchester, Professor Rees spoke on a panel co-hosted by More and Common and the UCL Policy Lab called 'Economic Reset: The Future of Conservative Economics', while Professor Stears joined the discussion 'Conservative thinking at the cross-roads: Where next for the right?'.
Across both conferences, UCL academics provided expert voices on climate change, health, economics and public policy. They included: Dr Wei Cui (UCL Economics), Dr Dan Honig (UCL Political Science), Dr Fran Zanatta (UCL Epidemiology & Health), Professor Marcos Vera-Hernández (UCL Economics), Professor Mark Maslin (UCL Geography), Dr Deniz Kattwinkel (UCL Economics), Professor Lauren Andres (UCL Bartlett School of Planning), Professor Gabriella Conti (UCL Economics) and Dr Lukasz Rachel (UCL Economics).
UCL also had representatives at Liberal Democrat, Reform UK and Green party conferences.
