Liam Byrne: Why populists are winning: and how to beat them
30 April 2026, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Location: University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY
Think tank: Institute for Policy Research
At this event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Policy Research Liam Byrne sets out what is driving the rise of populism and what can be done about it.
About the event
Authoritarian populists now govern one-quarter of the world’s democracies. But is this peak populism, or the populists’ tipping point? Liam Byrne exposes the forces propelling the populist surge and reveals how to stop it. He outlines populism’s five tribes and shows which voters can still be won back. He traces the millions of pounds flowing into Britain’s populist media-political complex, and maps the rhetoric that populists use to weaponise fear and nostalgia. He explains why simply shouting louder from the political mainstream never works and instead makes the case for rebuilding a confident, values-driven radical centre – one that tackles inequality head-on, restores economic dignity and reconnects with communities who feel unseen.
Speaker biography
The Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP is a British Labour Party politician, a member of His Majesty’s Privy Council and the Chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee. He served in Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, in No. 10 Downing Street and HM Treasury, and chaired the Global Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF, 2019–2025. He is the author of more than twenty publications on economics, foreign policy and public service reform. He is the author of Why Populists Are Winning: and How to Beat Them and The Inequality of Wealth: Why it Matters and How to Fix it, which was shortlisted for the Westminster Book Awards 2024.
