The Next Generation with Baroness Fox

Join us for our next Next Generation drinks on Tuesday, 13th October! This month, we are thrilled to welcome Baroness Fox of Buckley, director and founder of the Academy of Ideas and crossbench peer in the House of Lords. Claire is a formidable writer, broadcaster, and lifelong free speech campaigner. A familiar voice across the airwaves, she is a regular panelist on BBC Radio 4’s The Moral Maze and a former MEP. Claire also established the prestigious nationwide Debating Matters competition and convenes the annual Battle of Ideas festival. Claire specialises in broadening the public square, challenging cancel culture and defending an absolute commitment to free speech. She brings a fiercely independent, anti-conformist perspective to contemporary culture wars and political orthodoxies. Claire will be discussing Why Free Speech Matters. She’ll explore the increasingly stifling atmosphere of modern political discourse and unpack why the right to challenge ideas without constraint is essential for a democratic society. Her talk will explore how Westminster can resist institutional conformism and foster a culture of genuine, robust debate. It’s an unmissable evening for anyone who believes ideas should be contested, not cancelled. Housekeeping: Date: Tuesday, 13th October 2026 Time: Doors open 6 pm sharp Venue: 23 Great Smith Street, Westminster. SW1P 3DJ Refreshments provided 🍷 A bit more about these meetings: At TNGs, we throw our doors open to Westminster’s finest to enjoy a political discussion over a few glasses of (free) wine. Open to parliamentary staffers, journos, SpAds, consultants, students, and even the odd civil servant, TNGs are a place to network, chat, and relax. Whatever your politics, we just like interesting ideas and we hope you do too. It’s for under-35s, it’s informal, and we normally end up at the Marquis of Granby. Please note this event is exclusively for under-35s. If we reach capacity, we will add you to our waiting list.