BFL29 - Europe: Where Do We Go From Here?

Due to an unforeseen diary clash, author David Marsh is no longer able to take part in this event. We are delighted, however, to announce that columnist and author Stefan Stern will join Jonathan Freedland and Wera Hobhouse for this discussion. 

On 23 June 2016, after years of divisive debate, the UK voted to leave the European Union, a decision that fractured the post-war consensus and re-shaped Britain's place in the world. A decade later, with heightened security threats across the continent, and unpredictable shifts in global power, is it time to build a new Europe?

Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland is joined by Liberal Democrat MP for Bath Wera Hobhouse and former FT columnist and author Stefan Stern to ask: where do we go from here?

Jonathan Freedland is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Escape Artist which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford, Rathbones Folio and Waterstones Book of the Year prizes and in April 2025 was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Books of the 21st Century. A Guardian columnist, Freedland has won awards for Columnist of the Year and Commentator of the Year and is a past winner of an Orwell Prize for Journalism. He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series, The Long View, and the author of twelve other books.

Wera Hobhouse has been Liberal Democrat MP for Bath since 2017. She has long campaigned against Brexit and remains a passionate supporter of closer ties with Europe.  

Stefan Stern is a former Financial Times columnist and author of several books. He is a Visiting Professor in management practice at Bayes Business School, City St. George's, University of London, and a member of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations. His most recent book (2024) was "Fair or Foul - the Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition". Previous titles include "Myths of Management - what people get wrong about being the boss" (with Prof Cary Cooper), and "How To Be A Better Leader".