We are honoured to have been elected as the Co-Chairs of the Economy & Finance Network. As Co-Chairs, we are committed towards making this Network open and inclusive. We are also keen to ensure that economic and financial knowledge is accessible to those who might not be working in the field, whilst also leading economic policy making within the Party ahead of the next General Election.

There is no better time to be involved in the Economy & Finance Network as the UK seeks to define our future post-Brexit and what will hopefully be a post-pandemic period.

Our focus for the coming year is on our pamphlet Economic lens - Reclaiming the Heartlands which is split into two main sections: Winning back the Geographic Heartlands and Winning back the Socio-Demographic Heartlands.

Our pamphlet seeks to address the below three main questions:

• 2019: Why did Labour lose the Heartland?
• 2021-2023: What can Labour achieve in opposition to rebuild this Heartland?
• 2024: Which General Election policy can Labour propose to regain this Heartland?

We are delighted to have participation for our pamphlet from all the regional groups and a wide range of capable writers for the socio-demographic section.

Given that the next election is scheduled for 2024 which is three years away, we are hoping for the pamphlet to help Labour define our electoral strategy in the economic area which has frequently been touted as our weakest link. In particular, the pamphlet will explore policy areas often neglected by Labour such as rural agricultural policies and older voters.

Amarvir will kick off the pamphlet with our event Have Labour Left Behind the Heartlands? on 27 January at 7pm so we hope to see you there!

We have also planned for some fantastic events during the year covering themes ranging from Behavioural Economics to Environmental Economics so do keep a look out for these! The Economy & Finance Network will also be collaborating with our Member Development and Engagement Officer Tobi Dada to organise a session on budget deficits, in light of the UK’s ballooning budget deficit due to economic measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic such as the furlough scheme.

We would welcome members, in particular women or non-binary members, who would like to become part of the Executive Committee, in line with our commitment towards Diversity & Inclusion within the Economy & Finance Network. Please feel free to get in touch with us at [email protected] to indicate your interest. Please also let us know if you have any feedback for our network as we are keen for our members to help us shape the directions and plans of the network.

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• Facebook
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• LinkedIn page (Young Fabians Economy and Finance Network)