On 15 April the Fabians sent a letter to the Guardian, signed by MPs, trade unionists, policy makers, academics and writers, defending the principle of inheritance tax against political attacks.

On 29 April we launched our Pamphlet How to Defend Inheritance Tax by Rajiv Prabhakar, Karen Rowlingson and Stuart White with an event at the House of Commons.

This pamphlet argues inheritance tax is one of the best tools we have for tackling inequality and kick starting Britain’s stalled social mobility.

After three terms and a new leader, how can Labour renew itself? In Facing Out: How party politics must change to build a progressive society, the authors argue that the Party must think again about how it can contribute to strengthening democracy and truly reconnect people to politics.

This Fabian pamphlet argues that Labour must respond to the transformations in society that are threatening all political parties. In particular Labour must remain at the forefront of campaigning for, and achieving, progressive social change. This will demand major changes in how the Party thinks, organises and acts.

The Fabian Society/YouGov Equality Poll of more than 3,000 voters shows both a desire for greater equality in Britain, and some acknowledgement of change in the last decade. The electorate - old, young, rich, poor, Tory or Labour - wants a fairer Britain in which vast and entrenched differences in income, in opportunity and in life chances are narrowed.

This poll, for the politics issue of the Fabian Review, carries a very clear message for Gordon Brown – the British public is overwhelmingly in favour of a fair and equal Britain. The vote for an equal chance in life for everyone was even greater than even some Fabians might expect: 96 per cent of this representative group said that it was a good idea for Britain to be a place where no child grows up in poverty; and 85 per cent said in Britain the gap between the rich and the poor should be much smaller.

The rise of far right extremists – such as the British National Party – is one of the most worrying trends of recent times. With ever more candidates, increased media attention and a rising number of votes, the BNP seems to be here to stay. They have capitalised on the disengagement, disenfranchisement and fear that many voters in deprived communities feel.