In the run-up to the Mayoral and Assembly elections in May, Compass and Verso Books in association with Foyles, are hosting a series of conversations asking how could we organise our communities and our city differently?
London is a city of constant movement. People and capital have always flowed in and out of the city but London is becoming less accessible for many. Social mobility is decreasing and wealth and public funds are concentrated in London, a place that’s increasingly driving out people who can no longer afford to live here.
London continues its long history of immigration since ancient times: in 2015, London’s population reached 8.6 million, with over 300,000 born in other places. But the dangerous distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ migrants has found a foothold in the popular narrative, leaving some vulnerable people with no recourse to public funds and growing anti-immigrant sentiment. So what happens when new people arrive here? And how do we start to reclaim the city for old and new Londoners?
Join Owen Jones, author of Chavs, journalist Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi, New Humanist editor Daniel Trilling, currently writing a book about refugees in Europe, and chair, journalist Rachel Shabi.