Event 30

Only Members of Hay Festival may buy tickets prior to public launch. If you are already a Member please log in. If you would like to become a Member, sign up here.

Booking for non-members opens at 1200 on Friday 27 September.

Torsten Bell and Jess Phillips talk to Jennifer Nadel

Where Does Compassion Belong In Politics?

Venue: Castle Marquee

In the arguments between opposing political parties, the fractious nature of Prime Minister’s Question Time, and the lack of sympathy for the struggles of everyday people, it can seem that compassion has disappeared from politics altogether. Join MPs Torsten Bell and Jess Phillips as they examine where politics and politicians have failed people and how being compassionate is linked to success and a better politics for everyone. Tackling hard-hitting questions, the pair present a hopeful and optimistic view of the future, as well as looking at the lessons that Wales can impart to the national stage.

Bell, who was elected as the MP for Swansea West in 2024, is the author of Great Britain? How We Get Our Future Back, a forensic examination of Britain’s current chaos, and a bold vision for an alternative. He is the former chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, an economic research charity working to raise the living standards of households on low to middle incomes.

In Phillips’ Let’s Be Honest, she looks at how politics lost its integrity, and how we’ve all suffered as a result. It is both a laugh-so-you-don’t-cry takedown of the state of Westminster in recent years and a rallying battle cry for bringing truth back to politics. Before becoming an MP, she worked with victims of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking. Phillips was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office in 2024. They talk to barrister and journalist Jennifer Nadel, leader of UK think tank Compassion In Politics.

Price: £15.00

Only Members of Hay Festival may buy tickets prior to public launch. If you are already a Member please log in. If you would like to become a Member, sign up here.

Booking for non-members opens at 1200 on Friday 27 September.

Torsten Bell and Jess Phillips talk to Jennifer Nadel
Funded by UK Government
Powys Council
Growing Mid Wales