This year's Compass National Conference Born Free and Equal will take place on Saturday 14 June 2008 at the Institute of Education in London. Held in association with Unite, The Guardian and New Statesman the conference will ask the question ‘How do we deliver equality in the 21st century?', high profile speakers include amongst others Ed Miliband, Douglas Alexander, Polly Toynbee, Jon Cruddas, Neal Lawson and Ruth Lister.

New controversy has hit the Brown Government amid the speculation that Lord Digby Jones will be leaving his position as Trade Minister before the next election. The former director general of the CBI was brought in apparently in a move toward Brown's big tent politics. Jones is commonly seen as more Tory than Labour, so his departure is certainly better late than never, but the question should not be why is Digby Jones leaving? But, why was he ever allowed in, in the first place?

Compass are delighted to announce our post-elections debate taking place on Tuesday 6 May from 6pm in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, London.

The culmination of a fantastic campaign by trade unions saw 147 MPs, almost entirely Labour, turn out two weeks ago to back a Bill designed to give more than one million agency workers equal pay and equal treatment alongside their directly-employed counterparts.

Leaders from across the centre-left, civil society and from all corners of the UK, have today urged every progressive voter; activist and organisation to get behind the campaign to re-elect Ken Livingstone, in a statement co-ordinated by Compass.

Compass and Progress are pleased to invite you to a crucial discussion on Labour's future direction entitled: Winning a fourth term: what's the road to victory? The debate is kindly hosted by the LGA Labour Group. Speakers include: Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government; Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP, Former Home Secretary; Neal Lawson, Chair of Compass; Jon Trickett MP, Compass Parliamentary Spokesperson and chaired by Michael White, The Guardian (tbc). It takes place on Wednesday 19 March, 6pm-7.30pm at the Bevin Hall, Local Government House, Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ.

Click here to register

It should not surprise us that again New Labour is claiming that all of society’s ills can be solved through getting people back to work. However, it certainly should disappoint us that this latest attack is made on those most vulnerable in society.

Today Compass has launched a debate and consultation on the counter terrorism bill. We’re delighted that both Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary and Shami Chakrabarti Director of human rights group Liberty have set out the arguments both for and against the government’s proposals on the Compass website at www.compassonline.org.uk. The articles are complimented with a consultation which will run until Friday 15 February.

Take part in the consultation and speak out on the proposals

The statement launched by Progress today is to be welcomed. Not because they are right but because it helps spark a debate. So far its largely Compass saying that Brown needs to up his game. Now there is contestability over which direction and the more free market elements of Labour’s big tent will presumably welcome an injection of political competition.

Following the launch of the pamphlet Machines, markets and morals: the new politics of a democratic NHS we can announce a major debate in the House of Commons at 6pm on Thursday 28 February with Compass Chair Neal Lawson, Professor Julian Le Grand, UNISON's Head of Health Karen Jennings, Anna Coote from the Healthcare Commission and chaired by The Observer's Mary Riddell.

Over 150 people crammed into committee room 9 last night for a lively and informed debate on migration. The meeting was chaired by the country’s leading social policy commentator Polly Toynbee. The debate first heard from the Minister for Immigration, Liam Byrne who set out the reasons why he believes the policies being implemented by Labour are “firm but fair”.

In 1997, Peter Mandelson said “I say to the doubters, judge us after ten years in office. For one of the fruits of that success will be that Britain has become a more equal society. However, we will have achieved that result by many different routes, not just the redistribution of cash from rich to poor, which others choose as their own limited version of egalitarianism…” (Peter Mandelson, Labour’s Next Steps: Tackling Social Exclusion, Fabian Society 1997)

The Compass & Robin Cook Memorial Conference l Saturday 9 June l Westminster Central Hall London: It’s just under 2 weeks until this year’s Compass conference – held in association with UNISON; The Guardian and New Statesman. If you haven’t already booked your place we’d urge you to do so in the next few days in order to guarantee your place at this high-profile and exciting event.

Debate a new progressive politics at the shaping our global world Compass conference 2007 with further new speakers announced...