The future of the left since 1884

Publication

13 April 2026

The People's Pools

Traditionally, institutions such as the local cinema, the library, and the leisure centre or swimming pool made the high street and city centre the heart of local communities. However, as urban centres have declined across much of Britain with the rise of out-of-town supermarkets and online shopping, there has yet to be a coherent answer to the question of what they are for.

This, Greg Rosen argues, makes civic infrastructure more important than ever. Drawing on the Labour-led lido programme of the 1930s as a successful example of municipal socialism that created popular community infrastructure and bolstered Labour’s political credibility, he presents an ambitious plan to use water-sector reforms to require water companies to help finance, design, and deliver new or restored lidos in partnership with local authorities.

Published in June 2026 amid record-breaking temperatures, this pamphlet aims to create tangible community assets, strengthen local democracy and “pride in place,” and give Labour a modern equivalent of one of its most iconic historical achievements.

The people’s pools Health / Communities

Care to share

18 June 2026

In this pamphlet, which features a foreword by the former secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting MP, experts and policymakers identify the decisions the government will need to get right to build a National Care Service.

Care to Share Health / Social Care

Building skills

5 May 2026

This report examines the workforce and skills crisis facing the sector, with a particular focus on both the construction industry and engineering and building services trades. It sets out key policy recommendations to address the crisis and outlines how to develop the skilled workforce needed to deliver the homes and infrastructure we need.

Building skills Housing / Employment

The Fabian Review

Summer 2026, Volume 139 - No. 2

This edition of the Fabian Review examines class in modern Britain, featuring Sam Freidman, Aaron Reeves, Margaret Mullane MP, Dawn Butler MP, Jeremy Gilbert, Claire Ainsley, and Vladimir Bortun. Iggy Wood interviews the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson. Elsewhere, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Stella Tsantekidou, Anna Gelderd MP and Jovan Owusu-Nepal analyse Labour's future direction and Liz Snape blasts the US's blockade of Cuba.

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12 June 2026

MARIANNA MASTERS: Labour can no longer take the support of black and minority ethnic voters for granted

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Learning Lessons: Reimagined Britain

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RICHARD PARKER: The fight against populism starts with community renewal

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Learning Lessons: Wrong Path

28 May 2026

BELLA SANKEY: To reconnect with disaffected progressive voters, the government must take a more holistic approach to immigration

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Bitter Pill

27 May 2026

TIM SHAND: As the far right capitalises on young men’s alienation, progressives must confront misogyny and the crisis in men’s mental health together

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Learning Lessons: Battle Cry

22 May 2026

KATHERINE SANGSTER: In an era of fragmented politics and a fractured electorate, Scottish Labour must reconnect with voters’ values to rebuild trust

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Learning Lessons: Looking Ahead

19 May 2026

MARK DRAKEFORD: Wales was once at the beating heart of Labour’s electoral coalition — rebuilding it, will require reconnecting with civil society

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Our publications

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Building skills

Tackling the built environment skills crisis

This report examines the workforce and skills crisis facing the sector, with a particular focus on both the construction industry and engineering and building services trades. It sets out key policy recommendations to address the crisis and outlines ...

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Common Endeavour

Building a stronger Britain

In this series of essays, Labour MPs from across the ‘broad centre’ of the party set out how Labour can apply its values to the problems we face in the second quarter of the 21st century. The collection centres around four generational challenges: af...

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Uneven ground

How to rebuild Labour's electoral coalition

In this pamphlet, drawing on British Election Study data, James Prentice examines why Labour has struggled to hold together its 2024 coalition and sets out how a new progressive coalition can be built.

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Pressing Reset

Our future with Europe

Rejoining the EU is not an immediate prospect. But in an increasingly uncertain world – and with public opinion in favour of greater cooperation – now is the time to revisit our relationship with our European allies. This collection brings together e...

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Housing the future

How Scotland can build again

This report sets out how the next Scottish government should use its powers to deliver a significant increase in housebuilding rates and tackle high housing costs. It analyses the main impacts of the housing emergency, and examines why Scotland hasn’...

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Adopt, innovate, transform

How civil servants can help deliver a smarter state using AI

Drawing on survey data and insights from three focus groups, this report examines the challenges civil servants face in shaping the government’s AI agenda. It sets out five priorities to help address these challenges and unlock the full potential of ...

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Anatomy of success

Digitising the NHS by 2035

This paper draws on previous lessons from past health service modernisation initiatives. It identifies key decisions the government must get right, if it wants to achieve its health goals over the next decade and deliver world-class care to all.

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Testing Times

Covid-19 and devolution in Europe

The aim of this collection of short essays, edited by Ed Turner, Luke Raikes and Iggy Wood, is to dive into debates about devolution across Europe, often triggered by experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic, to inform the UK as it considers reform in th...

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Beyond numbers

Building great places to live

For many years, England has been in the grip of a disastrous housing crisis. Chronically low rates of building have made both renting and buying a home extraordinarily expensive, and millions are suffering as a result.

Quantity, however, is not th...

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Nye's lost legacy

Towards a National Occupational Health Service to keep people well in work

Against the backdrop of Sir Charlie Mayfield’s independent investigation into healthy and inclusive work, Sasjkia Otto sets out an ambitious vision for a universal and integrated occupational health system, matched by rights and responsibilities. In ...

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Forward Planning

A vision of ageing at home

This report sets out how the government can ensure that owner-occupiers are able to age well in their own home. It identifies the scale of the challenge faced by older owner-occupiers, the barriers to improving housing, and the case for action. The r...

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Rural futures

The British countryside and its potential

This pamphlet brings together rural MPs with a variety of experts and policymakers to explore the future of our countryside. As the authors set out, the potential of Britain’s rural areas is immense. By seeing rural areas as an social and economic as...

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Pressing issues

Making the media work for democracy

In this pamphlet, journalists and experts set out the problems that characterise the media landscape, propose a range of changes to improve standards, and set out how the government can uphold the rights of journalists both at home and around the wor...

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Ill-prepared

Strengthening sick pay for the self-employed

In this report, Eloise Sacares and Luke Raikes make the case for sick pay for the self-employed, review support in the UK and other countries, and set out recommendations for the government to consider.

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Levying up

How to make the growth and skills levy work

The Labour government has committed to reforming the apprenticeship levy into a ‘growth and skills levy’, giving employers more flexibility. In this report, general secretary Joe Dromey and senior researcher Sasjkia Otto set out a series of recommend...

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