George Lansbury Memorial Trust

The 2025 George Lansbury Memorial Lecture

Is a faith shaped peace only powerful for the 1930s, not 2030s?

Thursday 20 November 2025    6:00 - 8:30pm GMT
LSE Library: The British Library of Political and Economic Science
10 Portugal Street London WC2A 2HD 

with John Cooper of the Fellowship of Reconciliation

On 20 November 2025, the LSE Library hosted the George Lansbury Memorial Trust Annual Lecture, delivered by John Cooper, Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. The lecture explored whether faith remains a timeless force for peace or is merely a relic of a lost past.

Drawing on George Lansbury’s legacy as a political witness shaped by faith, the discussion examined how his pacifist ideals responded to the horrors of mechanised warfare in the 1930s and whether similar principles can address contemporary challenges. These include ongoing global conflicts, pressures on multiculturalism, declining trust in global institutions and the rise of nationalism.

Chaired by Reverend Professor James Walters, founding director of the LSE Faith Centre, the event invited reflection on the intersection of faith and politics in an era of uncertainty. Many GLMT committee members were present, reinforcing the Trust’s commitment to fostering dialogue on peace and justice.

Bishop's Hill Hall - Brentwood, Essex

For over a century, from when it was built in 1906, as part of the Poplars Residential School and Children’s Home Village for destitute children from Poplar, Bishops Hill Hall has stood as a reminder of how young children with little prospect of a decent future can be provided with what they need to lead productive and fulfilling lives. The project was closely associated with George Lansbury and the hall is now under threat of closure from the County Council.

An action group has been formed to save the Hall and more details can be seen in their press release (please click here). This includes information on how to sign the ongoing petition to save the Hall.

Did you ever wonder who came first with MPs surgeries? Well, George Lansbury was among the first.

Read more here by Emeritus Director of the History of Parliament, Dr Paul Seaward.

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