Panelists included Dame Andrea Leadsom, the Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire and a former Cabinet Minister. This year, Andrea was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List as a Dame Commander of the British Empire for service to politics. Andrea is the government’s Early Years Healthy Development Advisor, and recently led a review, commissioned by the Prime Minister, which set out a vision for best practice across the health system for a child’s first 1001 days. In addition, Andrea has served in a variety of ministerial and Cabinet positions, including as Environment Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons and Business Secretary. She has twice stood for the leadership of the Conservative party – in 2016 and in 2019.

Eluned Morgan is a Labour Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales and the Minister for Health and Social Services in the Welsh Government. She’s been in the latter role just over a month and now has responsibility for the COVID-19 public health response in Wales, mental health services and medical workforce training. Last week, the Welsh government announced that all adults in Wales have been offered a COVID jab, which the government says is 6 weeks ahead of schedule.

Managing Director of Iceland Foods, Richard Walker added a commercial focus to the discussions. The company was set up by his parents in 1970 – and its first shop, selling loose frozen food, was in Oswestry. The company’s head office is now in Deeside in Flintshire. Today it trades more than 1000 stores. Under Richard’s leadership, Iceland became the first major retailer to pledge to eliminate single-use plastic packaging from its own label range and to stop manufacturing own brand products which have palm oil as an ingredient. Richard holds a variety of other roles – he is a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, sits on DEFRA’s council for sustainable business, and is a trustee for the Surfers Against Sewage campaign.In April he published a book: ‘One Man’s manifesto for Corporate Activism’ which takes the reader through practical examples of how to run a profitable business while helping to reverse climate change.

Director of CLASS thinktank (Centre for Labour and Social Studies) Ellie Mae O’Hagan offered a strong socialist message. CLASS describes itself as a ‘leading left thinktank working to ensure policy is on the side of everyday people.’ It is funded and supported by a number of trade unions, including the National Education Union, the Communication Workers Union, the GMB, the National Union of Teachers, and Unite the Union. Last month , the thinktank published a report: ‘Work in 2021 – A Tale of Two Economies’.