Day One
The weekend of events was started by Peace & Justice Project founder Jeremy Corbyn, who welcomed the packed out conference hall and highlighted many of the issues we face as a planet in his opening remarks. From the rise of the far-right and the housing crisis, to the need for a wealth tax and measures to end the climate breakdown, the message was clear and urgent.
The first panel of the weekend was War & Building Peace, which was chaired by Jeremy Corbyn and featured Mairéad Farrell TD, Israeli historian Ilan Pappé and international law expert Shahd Hammouri alongside Jeremy Corbyn, explored Britain's role in numerous conflicts around the world. It also examined British complicity in the Gaza genocide, from its role in surveillance operations and arms sales.
During this panel, the conference also heard from UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and Progressive International's David Adler live from aboard the aid Flotilla to Gaza.
This was followed by panels on the economy, climate justice, human rights campaigns in Britain and around the world, and the need to dismantle the corporate media monopoly and build new independent outlets to expose injustice and ensure the truth is consistently reported.
Day Two
The second day of Annual Conference 2025 was opened with a keynote speech from the Australian economist Steve Keen, who highlighted the failures of successive governments to build an economy that works for the many, not just the few.
This was followed by a panel on Health & Social Care, chaired by Dr Alia Butt, who was joined by Hackney Independent Socialist councillor Claudia Turbet-Delof and the psychologist Professor Mick Cooper, who discussed the need to protect the NHS, expand universal healthcare and completely remove all privatisation and profiteering in our hospitals.
Next was the Housing Rights & Environment panel, chaired by Marion Roberts, and featuring Joe Penny of UCL's Urban Laboratory, Living Rent's Ruth Gilbert, social housing and urban regeneration expert Paul Watt and Izzy Koksal of Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth.
The conference's penultimate session was Employment & Workers' Rights panel, which featured United Voices of the World's general secretary Petros Elia, UVW vice president Isabel Cortes, Lord John Hendy and Claire Trevor of Unite Hospitality, which covered the importance of strengthening the rights and protections of the workforce through building mass trade union memberships across the board to fight for fair pay and employment justice.
The final panel of the conference was Education, Culture & Activism, chaired by Melissa Benn, UCU general secretary Jo Grady, Equity general secretary Paul Fleming and Jinsella Kennaway of Demilitarise Education. The panel explored the role of the arts in activism and ensuring that our communities have access to live music, theatre and opportunities. This session also raised the importance of ensuring artistic expression and freedom of speech are protected across all sectors.
Through two full days of speakers, debate and discussion, the message both to and from our movement was clear. We must meet every challenge with urgency and total commitment to building a more just society and a fairer world for all.
The founding of a new political party must only be the beginning of building an alternative to the misery faced by millions. Peace & Justice Project's annual conference laid the foundations of the policies we need to overcome every challenge we face.