Press Story

Organisers of the Global Progress Action Summit are today announcing the final speakers for this year’s gathering in London on Friday 26 September:

Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark

They join a world-class line-up of leaders, strategists, and policymakers from nearly 40 countries, already announced in recent weeks, including:

Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand
Magdalena Andersson, Former Prime Minister of Sweden
Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Yvette Cooper, U.K. Foreign Secretary
John Healey, U.K. Secretary of State for Defence
Darren Jones, U.K. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
David Lammy, U.K. Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice
Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland
J.B. Pritzker, 43rd Governor of Illinois, USA
Rachel Reeves, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer
Anas Sarwar, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain

Among the other speakers previously confirmed are Farida Bedwei, Technology and Innovation Consultant, Disability Equity Advocate, and Author, Ghana; Charlyne M. Brumskine, Lawyer, 2023 Vice Presidential Candidate and Founder, CMB Law Group, Liberia; Aya Chebbi, Diplomat and former African Union Special Envoy on Youth, Tunisia; Caroline Ciccone, Executive Director, Accountable.US, USA; Matt Clifford, Former Prime Minister’s Adviser on AI, UK; Andrew Cooper, Baron Cooper of Windrush, UK; Jon Finer, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund and former Principal Deputy National Security Advisor, USA; Paolo Gentiloni, Former Prime Minister of Italy; Patrick Gaspard, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund and former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa; David Gauke, Former U.K. Secretary of State for Justice; Alexandra Geese, Member of the European Parliament, Germany; Lars Klingbeil, Vice Chancellor of Germany; Stefan Löfven, Former Prime Minister of Sweden; Enma Lopez Araujo, Federal Secretary of Economic Policy and Digital Transformation, Spain; Baroness Sally Morgan, Former Director of Government Relations at No10 Downing Street, UK; John Podesta, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Center for American Progress, USA; Jaime Pumarejo, Former Mayor of Barranquilla, Colombia; Verónica Silva, Founding Member, Somos Patria, Ecuador; and Neera Tanden, President and CEO, Center for American Progress Action Fund, USA.

The Global Progress Action Summit, co-hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action), the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), and Labour Together, comes at a critical moment of economic discontent, global insecurity, and the rise of the populist right. At the same time, progressives around the world have shown what bold, practical policies can deliver, with important wins in recent years.

This year’s Summit will bring together leaders, thinkers, and strategists to share lessons and chart new ground. The agenda will focus on national security, growth that works for working people, migration in an age of global movement, and building fair societies based on solidarity and reciprocity.

“Leaders from around the world are uniting to confront the challenge of rising autocracy with fresh ideas that deliver security, prosperity, and democracy for all,” said Neera Tanden, president and CEO of CAP Action. “CAP is committed to bringing these voices together, improving cross-democracy relationships, and developing solutions that solve people’s problems.”

Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of IPPR, said: “Citizens across the world are increasingly rejecting mainstream politics. Progressives urgently need to answer what replaces the status quo, or risk losing out to the populist right. Today’s summit is an opportunity to begin that work – and with it to rekindle optimism about what good progressive government can achieve.”

Matthew Upton, executive director of Labour Together, said: “Across the globe, the populist right is surging and institutions are creaking. Faith in politics and governments to deliver for ordinary people has never been lower. But this summit can be part of the antidote to this insecurity, by developing ideas and strategies to make us stronger and more secure, and give people back hope and confidence in their future.”

A live stream of the summit can be viewed here: https://youtube.com/live/3wK5LaMEjdc

<ENDS>

For more information, please contact:

Cam Vargas, Head of Communications at Labour Together: 07818-254-732 | cam.vargas@labourtogether.co.uk
David Wastell, Director of News and Communications at IPPR: 07921 403651: d.wastell@ippr.org
Sam Hananel, Senior Director of Media Relations, CAP Action: shananel@americanprogress.org

About IPPR
IPPR is an independent charity working toward a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. We are researchers, communicators, and policy experts creating tangible progressive change, and turning bold ideas into common sense realities. Working across the U.K., IPPR, IPPR North, and IPPR Scotland are deeply connected to the people of our nations and regions, and the issues our communities face. We have helped shape national conversations and progressive policy change for more than 30 years. From making the early case for the minimum wage and tackling regional inequality, to proposing a windfall tax on energy companies, IPPR’s research and policy work has put forward practical solutions for the crises facing society.

About Labour Together
In Labour’s wilderness years, Labour Together was founded by a group of MPs fighting to make the party electable again. With Labour now in power, Labour Together is the leading organization in the U.K. exploring how to support Labour to govern in the global age of insecurity and win again. We develop ideas and strategies to make Britain stronger and more secure, and give Britons back hope and confidence in their future.

About CAP Action
Based in Washington, D.C., the Center for American Progress Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Global Progress Action, an initiative of the CAP Action Fund, is an international incubator for innovative strategies and ideas on a global scale, designed to defend and promote liberal democracy and inclusive societies. We aim to educate the public and leaders on ideas that will build an economy for all, tackle the climate crisis, and restore social trust in democracy.