A new global deal is needed to secure food supplies amid a soaring population and "perfect storm" of environmental challenges, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn MP said in a Fabian lecture.

With world food production required to double just to keep pace with future demand, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs called for a Kyoto-style accord to secure supplies and guarantee a stable market.

Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson will be among more than 50 high-level speakers at our Fabian New Year Conference, which will urge a bold agenda to make 2009 the year of equality.

Entitled “Fairness Doesn’t Happen by Chance”, the conference will also feature Labour Party Deputy Leader Harriet Harman MP, Equalities and Human Rights Commission Chair Trevor Phillips, Polly Toynbee of the Guardian and David Aaronovitch of the Times — plus many more speakers from the worlds of politics, media and social affairs.

The financial chaos of recent months has reinforced the importance of both government and community,  writes David Blunkett MP in a new Fabian Freethinking paper, leaving Labour in a position to play to its strengths.

The paper stresses the importance of the giving of time and money - but calls on wealthy individuals and businesses to do more to pull their weight:

"Rich people should be encouraged to contribute more," he says.

New research on selection rates of black and minority ethnic UK parliamentary candidates shows the “ethnic penalty” is disappearing for the next generation of MPs, argues Sunder Katwala in a new essay.

“Nobody can say when we might see a British Barack Obama. In many ways, Obama could be a once in a lifetime strike of political lightning. But Obama’s election will throw the spotlight on progress on race in British politics. The question we can try to answer is this: how far do candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds still face higher hurdles because of their race?