Buds of change

Labour’s next task is to address the maladies that have scarred the country for the last decade and beyond

After 13 years as Fabian general secretary, Andrew Harrop argues that Labour has the opportunity to transform our country

This month, I step down as Fabian Society general secretary after 13 years. In that time, life in the UK has grown worse in many ways. There is more poverty and sickness, housing is harder to afford, and most public services are worse at meeting needs. Through Brexit, the country has severed its bonds with our nearest neighbours just as global risks are rising. And inequalities in income, opportunity, wealth and health are as bad as they were in 2011.

Even where Britain has moved forward, progress has been too slow. Our economic engine is stuck in first gear with productivity, earnings and living standards barely growing. Increases in life expectancy had slackened even before Covid-19. And while progress has been made on carbon emissions, the pace is not fast enough to meet our net zero commitments.

At least Tory chaos, ideology and inertia has not broken the things that make Britain great. As a country we still have genuine economic strengths, outsized cultural and scientific impact, respected institutions and soft power. These are foundations on which to build.

The public backlash to this summer’s far-right riots also proved that most people are at ease with the diverse Britain of today. Our model of migration and integration is not perfect, but it is better than in most other countries. When the history books are written, the right’s recent anti-woke turn will be seen as a weird and feeble hold-out against the onward march of social liberalism.

The last 13 years have been a painful period for Labour as well as for the country. At first the party struggled to come to terms with defeat. Ed Miliband’s leadership saw lots of creative policy thinking. But it was undermined by internal conflict and his party never convinced when speaking to persuadable Tory voters.

In the pain of the unexpectedly bad 2015 defeat, members placed heart over head and elected Jeremy Corbyn. That experiment in putting protest ahead of power and appealing to the converted was always doomed to fail. But enough members who reflected the pragmatic Fabian tradition stayed to rescue the party from the ashes, and the society played a big part in anchoring people to their party.

The road back towards electability under Keir Starmer was slow but steady – and down to luck as well as guile and stamina. But critically, when the Conservatives imploded, Labour looked like a competent and reassuring government-in-waiting.

Across these long years of opposition, the Fabians were there as a space for debate, a source of ideas and an incubator for future talent in the movement. We take great pride in the contribution we made to Labour’s victory. As I depart, the society is in stronger health than for many years.

Labour’s next task is to address the maladies that have scarred the country for the last decade and beyond. In signing up to five long-term missions the party is seeking to drive growth and decarbonisation, and to build public services that secure opportunity, security and health. The promise is of big change over a decade, through competent administration and pragmatic, incremental steps. It is very Fabian.

But in this month’s budget the party must avoid too much pain today for jam tomorrow. Saying that things will get worse before they get better may help to manage expectations. But following this last lost decade, the new government must also bring help fast where it is needed most. The wealthy can afford to pay more in taxes – and when it comes to plugging holes in our public services, kick-starting investment and alleviating acute hardship, the time to act is now.

This article first appeared in the Autumn 2024 Fabian Review