Executive committee

Thom Brooks is the Principal of Collingwood College and Professor of Law, Ethics and Government at Durham University where he was its longest serving Dean. A dual UK-USA national, Thom‘s work bridges academia and practice specialising in migration law and policy as well as criminal law and sentencing. He is author of several books, including Becoming British and Punishment as well as a frequent media commentator on law and politics. His Fabian pamphlet New Arrivals: A Fair Immigration Plan for Labour won the Fabian Society’s Jenny Jeger Prize in 2022.

Liam is the Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, a member of His Majesty’s Privy Council, elected Chair of the Global Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF and former Chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee. He is a former Gwilym Gibbon Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham and author of over twenty publications on economics, foreign policy and public service reform.

Francesca joins the Fabian Executive Committee having just finished her role as Co-Chair of the Young Fabians. She is a Strategy and Policy Associate at the Tony Blair Institute and also runs a education charity establishing debate clubs in state-funded schools.

Anneliese Dodds has been Labour Member of Parliament for Oxford East since June 2017 and prior to this was an MEP for South East England. She previously worked as an academic in the field of comparative public policy, and chaired a local debt and welfare advice centre. Anneliese has held a number of positions in opposition and in government, including in the Shadow treasury team, as Chair of the Labour Party and most recently as the Minister for Development and Minister for Women and Equalities.

Johanna Baxter has been the Scottish Labour Member of Parliament for Paisley & Renfrewshire South since July 2024.  She is the Vice Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, Chair of the APPG for Ending the Need for Foodbanks, Chair of the APPG for Moldova and Chair of the APPG for Cats.  She is also an active member of the APPG for Ukraine and recently co-authored a report on ‘Returning the Stolen Children of Ukraine’ with UK Friends of Ukraine. She has previously served as a member of the Fabian Women’s Network Executive.

Jennifer Hemingway is a Labour & Co-operative Councillor in the West Midlands and works as Equalities Officer for the Co-operative Party. As an expert in diversity, equity and inclusion; she has worked in politics, the NHS, local government, teaching and the third sector. She is passionate about local government policy, having been both a councillor and an officer in different authorities. Jennifer is particularly interested in co-operative solutions to  increase the diversity of representation in local and regional government.

Jimmy is a History and Politics student from Merseyside. He has served on the Young Fabians Executive Committee as Blog Editor and Editor of Anticipations, the Young Fabians magazine. He also represents Labour’s affiliated socialist societies on Young Labour’s National Committee.

Joy was elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham in May 2021. Before this she was a County Councillor (2013-2021) and Cabinet Member, Town Councillor and local Mayor. She is a graduate of the Fabian Women’s Network Mentoring Programme and is currently the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners national lead for addictions and substance misuse and environment and sustainability.

Marianna has been a Streatham Wells councillor since 2018. As a Lambeth born Black woman who has lived in this borough all her life, she is driven to increase opportunities and life chances for all who live and work in our richly diverse ward. Her interest in mental health has made her aware of both health inequalities and racial injustice that affects so many Lambeth residents. She is a Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Trust Governor and also a member of Black Thrive’s Partnership Board that brings together local communities, statutory agencies, and voluntary organisations to address the structural barriers that prevent Black people from accessing mental health services.

Catriona Headley is a solicitor at Digby Brown and former President of the Scottish Young Lawyers’ Association. She previously was a Scottish Labour candidate for Edinburgh in the 2016 Holyrood election.

Margaret is a former solicitor who stood for Labour in the 2024 general election and in the Hull & East Yorkshire devolved authority elections this year. She also serves as the chair and trustee of three charities. A member of the FWN executive, she has contributed articles to the Fabian Review and has chaired panels at both Labour and Fabian conferences, as well as at the recent housing summit.

Originally a research scientist for British Steel at Port Talbot, Mike spent 27 years as a lecturer in Pontypridd, teaching computing, before becoming an Assembly Member.

Mike represented the Morriston ward on Swansea Council between 1989 and 2012 and he held many posts on the council, including Council Leader. Taking an active interest in education, Mike has been a governor of Swansea University, Swansea Institute, Mynyddbach and Morriston Comprehensives, and Swansea College, and is currently chair of the governors of Glyncollen and Ynystawe Primary schools.

Brad joined the Fabians in July 2024. He previously studied law at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sarah is the MP for Congleton. Previously, Sarah was an employment rights’ solicitor, and is passionate about combating discrimination in society. She has also been a school governor, a housing association board member, and former councillor.

Sarah is a graduate of the Fabian Women’s Mentoring Scheme.

Yusuf is a student at the London School of Economics, studying MSc Economic History. He also serves on the National Committee of Labour Students as West Midlands Representative.

Kasia is reading Politics and East European Studies at University College London (UCL), within the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. She formerly chaired the Young Fabian’s Defence, Technology and Cybersecurity Network, where she hosted two Ukrainian delegations in the Houses of Parliament. She joined the Labour Party on her fourteenth birthday. 

A Labour Party member for over 40 years, Andy Furlong has held office at local regional and national level including two terms as Chair of the East Midlands Labour Party and 20 years on the National Policy Forum. He served one term as a district councillor in Leicestershire and was a Parliamentary Candidate in 1997 and 2001. After a thirty-year career with manufacturing and engineering organisations, in 2018 he established, Cogent Content, a communications consultancy working with a range of Labour politicians and trade bodies. A self-confessed ageing punk rocker and centrist-dad, he moved to Swansea in 2022 where he is currently the Vice Chair of Swansea West CLP

Bayo is the MP for Southend East and Rochford. A former Parachute Regiment Soldier and Labour Councillor, he brings over 22 years of experience in community, voluntary and regeneration intiatives.

Dr Michael Weatherburn is an academic and educator, focusing on the history of science and technology. Particularly involved in the local Fabian societies, he has led the Oxford, now Central London, branches for the past decade.