It used to be said that British elections are always won from the centre ground. This did not seem to be the case in the last election. The centre folded. While there was much in the Conservative manifesto that occupied the centre ground, it was robust arguments from the right that dominated their campaign. Labour performed better than expected by shifting to a classical leftist platform. Between them, the two main parties stifled any challenge from the centre.

This session will question whether there is a future for centrist politics in Britain. Does a passive centrism that splits the difference between right and left have any future? Or is the centre only to be regained through a radical centrism that breaks the mould – as did Macron in France and the Five Star Movement in Italy.

Monday, September 18 at 13:00 in Bayview 1 of the Bournemouth International Centre, join Jo Swinson, Norman Lamb, David Boyle and Joe Zammit-Lucia for a discussion on this topic.