Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones and London deputy mayor Joanne McCartney have been confirmed as keynote speakers at the Co-operative Party’s 2017 conference.
Celebrating the organisation’s centenary, the event will welcome over 400 delegates and visitors to London from 13-15 October. The Party’s AGM will take place on the afternoon of Friday 13th at Central Hall, Westminster, followed by commemorations of the Centenary, including readings from the minutes of the 1917 founding conference, and the procession of the Party’s Centenary Banner from the Hall to the Houses of Parliament across Parliament Square.
Over the following two days at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, a series of key sessions will explore ‘Ideas to Change Britain’ – and how the Co-op Party is working to make these ideas a reality.
Community activists, campaigners and leading thinkers who are at the forefront of creating social and economic change will share their visions on how to instil co-operation into the housing and education sectors. There will be a Q&A with a panel of Labour & Co-operative MPs and pers, and a session exploring what steps are needed to make Labour’s manifesto pledge to double the size of the co-operative sector a reality.
And on the Saturday evening, the Co-operative Party’s 100th birthday party will welcome all members, delegates and visitors, with a live band and other entertainment.
“In October 1917, delegates came together at Central Hall in Westminster to found the Co-operative Party,” said Claire McCarthy, Co-op Party general secretary.
“A century later, we’re looking forward to returning there to launch our next hundred years, in what is set to be our largest conference in recent times. We meet with our country at a crossroads. People are crying out for a movement that believes in sharing power and wealth. And with the theme of this year’s conference, ‘Ideas to change Britain’, we’re ready to answer that call.”
- Tickets for the conference are available now, with prices starting at £15 for a single day ticket, or £30 for the whole weekend. Visit party.coop/conference for details.
