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Britain at a Crossroads

03/01/2026
60 min
[video_views]

What does Britain’s mounting turbulence mean for its Jewish citizens? In a period marked by rising antisemitism, political distrust, and fraying social cohesion, this conversation brings together experts in their fields to examine the pressures reshaping the nation. Drawing on profound constitutional insight, long experience confronting extremism and safeguarding communities, and a sharp understanding of how media and politics shape both British and Jewish life, Vernon Bogdanor, Margaret Hodge, and David Aaronovitch join Sam Freedman to explore explore what today’s upheavals reveal about Britain itself – and what kind of future the country can plausibly build for its Jewish population and for society as a whole.

About the speakers

Sam Freedman

Sam Freedman is a senior fellow at the Institute for Government and writes regularly on politics and policy for the Observer, the FT and others. Sam’s substack newsletter ‘Comment is Freed’ is the most popular in the UK and has over 80,000 subscribers. His first book Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How to Fix […]
Vernon Bogdanor

Vernon Bogdanor is professor of government at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King’s College London. He is a fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. He has written a number of books on constitutional and political history, including Beyond Brexit and The Strange Survival of Liberal Britain.
Margaret Hodge

Margaret became the Labour Member of Parliament for Barking in June 1994. She has served in government, holding portfolios across education, work and pensions, business and culture. In 2010, Margaret also became the first elected Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and was also its first female Chair. Today, Margaret is the Chair of the […]
David Aaronovitch

David Aaronovitch is a journalist, author and broadcaster. He has presented Radio 4’s weekly current affairs programme The Briefing Room since 2016, writes for the Financial Times and is the author of three books, including Voodoo Histories about conspiracy theories and Party Animals about his family and British Communism.

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Britain at a Crossroads

03/01/2026
|
60 min

Speaker

Sam Freedman

Read More

Sam Freedman is a senior fellow at the Institute for Government and writes regularly on politics and policy for the Observer, the FT and...

Vernon Bogdanor

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Vernon Bogdanor is professor of government at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King’s College London. He is a fellow of the British Academy,...

Margaret Hodge

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Margaret became the Labour Member of Parliament for Barking in June 1994. She has served in government, holding portfolios across education, work and pensions,...

David Aaronovitch

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David Aaronovitch is a journalist, author and broadcaster. He has presented Radio 4’s weekly current affairs programme The Briefing Room since 2016, writes for...