Government minister Torsten Bell MP delivered a blueprint for a better Britain in a speech at the University of Leeds.
The Labour MP addressed the challenges of inequality and economic stagnation during an event organised by Leeds Social Sciences Institute (LSSI).
Mr Bell was appointed as a Parliamentary Secretary in HM Treasury and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions in January 2025. He is the author of ‘Great Britain? How We Get Our Future Back’.
Setting the scene, he cited an Ipsos MORI survey of June 2024, which asked ‘To what extent would you describe Britain as doing ‘great’?’.
Of those surveyed, 75% selected ‘not very much at all’.
The University sector is a strong sector and it is more important in a 21st century economy than it has ever been.
Mr Bell outlined how UK bottom and middle incomes were lower than our EU neighbours while job satisfaction for the lowest paid quarter has declined. At the same time, police, local authorities and the NHS were struggling to deliver satisfaction or results.
“We have just spent the last four decades being a country that doesn’t bother investing in its future, and you can get away with that for a year or two,” he said.
He drew attention to a rising proportion of low incomes being spent on housing. “The only thing worse than falling home ownership is the rise in housing costs,” he said.
Mr Bell said building new homes was essential to end the cycle of people accepting leases on low quality housing due to lack of choice.
He said the UK needed to exploit its “catch-up potential”.
“The United Kingdom is now poorer and more unequal than almost every country we would normally compare ourselves to. What does falling behind mean? You’ve got a lot of catch-up potential,” he said.
He highlighted the UK’s strength in production and export and the important role of academics and research. “The University sector is a strong sector and it is more important in a 21st century economy than it has ever been,” he added.
Professor Louise Waite, Torsten Bell MP and Professor Shearer West
The event was introduced by Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds. She said: “We are grateful to Torsten Bell MP for choosing to deliver this important talk at Leeds.
“Our country and planet face unprecedented challenges, and research-intensive universities like ours are critical players in addressing them with government, civil society and other partners.
“From groundbreaking research to training the next generation of global citizens, the work of universities is felt not just in the UK but around the world.”
Professor Louise Waite, Director of Leeds Social Sciences Institute (LSSI), said: “Torsten Bell’s speech provided plenty of food for thought. As a leading Institute for academic policy collaboration we are committed to engaging with UK Parliament and policy influencers to deliver research with impact that contributes towards a fairer, more prosperous society.
“The fact that this event was fully booked demonstrates the appetite to collaborate and address the significant economic challenges we face as a country. The discussion also pointed to an important need for a new social contract in Britain.”
Torsten Bell is the MP for Swansea West and the former Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation (2015-2024), an economic research charity working to raise the living standards of households on low to middle incomes.
Prior to this, he worked in HM Treasury, as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, and as Director of Policy for the Labour Party (2010-2015).
He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, trustee of the Child Poverty Action Group and an Honorary Professor at University College London.
Further information
Please contact Richard Abbott in the University of Leeds press office at R.Abbott1@leeds.ac.uk.