Debbie Abrahams, Beccy Cooper, Vicky Foxcroft, Louise Haigh, Justin Madders, Sarah Owen & Yuan Yang
5th January, 2026
©Shutterstock/1000 Words.
In Ancient Rome, the term ‘tribune’ came to define the political office whose purpose was to protec ordinary people – Roman workers – from the excesses and abuses of the political and economic elite.
That’s a job that matters. Advocating for the interests of ordinary people is what many of us in the Labour Party became involved in politics to do. And it’s the relentless mission of the recently relaunched Tribune Group of Labour MPs, which we are proud to lead.
We are fuelled by a mixture of determination that British people be allowed to build a politics and economy that works for them; by intense frustration that this is not the case today; and by hope, that we can and will achieve our mission.
Challenge the failing status quo
It’s easy to talk in tropes about these things. But sometimes a cliche sticks because a cliche is true.
It is true that, right now, too many parents fear that their children will be worse off than they were and will have fewer opportunities than they did.
It is true that we have a labour market that runs on exploitation, denies workers agency, and funnels wealth to those who contribute the least.
It is true that the cost-of-living crisis has exposed and entrenched a frightening level of precarity across society. We might have all grown weary of hearing these things expressed, but they have not yet been fixed. Far from it. Tribune’s mission is to change that.
And in order to move faster and to fix these things we have to be more honest about what has caused them.
The cost-of-living crisis is not simply the result of one-off shocks, whether Covid-19 or Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. It runs deeper, to the way our economy is structured and who it works for. It is not an accident or an act of god, it is the product of systemic negligence and greed.
Our Labour Government has made important progress on how our economy works – raising the Minimum Wage, promoting public ownership, regulating sectors like water and the rental market. But just as we agree with the critique that we haven’t clarified who we stand for, clarity is just as often gained by who we stand against.
We must approach the economy differently. We must challenge the failing status quo. We must change how it is run once and for all.
A Centre-left vision in practice
Since 1966, the Tribune Group of Labour MPs has stood in the tradition of the labour movement rooted in the trade unions – a tradition of solidarity, fairness and shared prosperity. We want Britain to grow again – in a way that raises living standards, not just balance sheets.
Tackling the cost-of-living must remain our central mission. Fair pay, secure work, and ensuring that productivity gains are shared with workers are essential. So too are practical steps that put more money in people’s pockets – from increases in the minimum wage to cutting energy bills. Lowering the cost of essentials like utilities, rent, and housing also drives a virtuous economic circle, allowing interest rates to be lowered even faster, driving more growth and cutting mortgage payments.
Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.
Opportunity must be spread across the country, not hoarded in a few superficially successful pockets. We want an ambitious Labour Government – one that is serious and credible too. And while the personality-driven Westminster media might want to see every meeting of two or more Labour MPs as a nascent leadership bid, that isn’t what this is about. It is about pooling resources and talents to reinvigorate centre-left thinking and to serve the Party with ideas and energy – in the very best spirit of our movement.
That means using the powers entrusted to us by the British people to build an economy fit for the 21st century; one where working people are better off and wealth and power are not concentrated in the hands of the privileged few.
So what does a centre-left economic vision look like in practice? First, an economy that serves people, communities, and the common good. That’s why measures like bringing our railways back into public ownership matter. When we own essential natural monopolies such as these, we can demand the service we deserve and protect ourselves from predatory practices.
Work should pay. Security should be the norm for those in work and those who can’t. Aspiration should be realistic. That is why we welcome measures such as the Employment Rights Act, which will strengthen workers’ rights across the country and the lifting of the two-child benefit cap.
Of course, the challenges do not stop there. Automation and artificial intelligence are already reshaping the world of work. Our task is to ensure that these changes enhance security and opportunity, rather than erode them, and that working people share in the gains of innovation.
Voters will judge Labour on whether we understand the economic reality they face. If we do not, we will be discarded just as decisively as the Conservatives were. At our relaunch party Ed Miliband quoted Neil Kinnock, describing Tribune as the home of those “with dreams, but who are not dreamers”. In 2026 – Tribune’s 60th year – our ambition is simple: to turn those dreams into real, tangible change for the people we serve.
Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.
We will focus on developing practical, credible ideas for economic renewal rooted in equality and solidarity, as well as campaigning across the country. We will work tirelessly to bring the ideas and the energy to this government that allow us to deliver on an idea that is ancient yet radical. That we are all better off when something strong stands between the elite and the people; that a nation is more than the sums on its balance sheet; that a good economy serves the people and that an economy that expects the people to serve it is bad.
Labour wins when – as the Tribunes of Rome were charged with doing – it protects and leads the people. We are here to help the Party to remember that mission and to deliver on it.
Debbie Abrahams
Debbie Abrahams is MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.@Debbie_abrahamsView all articles by Debbie Abrahams
Beccy Cooper
Dr Beccy Cooper is the MP for Worthing West.View all articles by Beccy Cooper
Vicky Foxcroft
Vicky Foxcroft is Labour MP for Lewisham North.@vickyfoxcroftView all articles by Vicky Foxcroft
Louise Haigh
Louise Haigh is MP for Sheffield Heeley and former Transport Secretary.@LouHaighView all articles by Louise Haigh
Justin Madders
Justin Madders is MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough.@justinmaddersView all articles by Justin Madders
Sarah Owen
Sarah Owen is MP for Luton North and Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee.@SarahOwen_View all articles by Sarah Owen
Yuan Yang
Yuan Yang is the MP for Earley and Woodley.View all articles by Yuan Yang
In Ancient Rome, the term ‘tribune’ came to define the political office whose purpose was to protec ordinary people – Roman workers – from the excesses and abuses of the political and economic elite.
That’s a job that matters. Advocating for the interests of ordinary people is what many of us in the Labour Party became involved in politics to do. And it’s the relentless mission of the recently relaunched Tribune Group of Labour MPs, which we are proud to lead.
We are fuelled by a mixture of determination that British people be allowed to build a politics and economy that works for them; by intense frustration that this is not the case today; and by hope, that we can and will achieve our mission.
Challenge the failing status quo
It’s easy to talk in tropes about these things. But sometimes a cliche sticks because a cliche is true.
It is true that, right now, too many parents fear that their children will be worse off than they were and will have fewer opportunities than they did.
It is true that we have a labour market that runs on exploitation, denies workers agency, and funnels wealth to those who contribute the least.
It is true that the cost-of-living crisis has exposed and entrenched a frightening level of precarity across society. We might have all grown weary of hearing these things expressed, but they have not yet been fixed. Far from it. Tribune’s mission is to change that.
And in order to move faster and to fix these things we have to be more honest about what has caused them.
The cost-of-living crisis is not simply the result of one-off shocks, whether Covid-19 or Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. It runs deeper, to the way our economy is structured and who it works for. It is not an accident or an act of god, it is the product of systemic negligence and greed.
Our Labour Government has made important progress on how our economy works – raising the Minimum Wage, promoting public ownership, regulating sectors like water and the rental market. But just as we agree with the critique that we haven’t clarified who we stand for, clarity is just as often gained by who we stand against.
We must approach the economy differently. We must challenge the failing status quo. We must change how it is run once and for all.
A Centre-left vision in practice
Since 1966, the Tribune Group of Labour MPs has stood in the tradition of the labour movement rooted in the trade unions – a tradition of solidarity, fairness and shared prosperity. We want Britain to grow again – in a way that raises living standards, not just balance sheets.
Tackling the cost-of-living must remain our central mission. Fair pay, secure work, and ensuring that productivity gains are shared with workers are essential. So too are practical steps that put more money in people’s pockets – from increases in the minimum wage to cutting energy bills. Lowering the cost of essentials like utilities, rent, and housing also drives a virtuous economic circle, allowing interest rates to be lowered even faster, driving more growth and cutting mortgage payments.
Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.
Opportunity must be spread across the country, not hoarded in a few superficially successful pockets. We want an ambitious Labour Government – one that is serious and credible too. And while the personality-driven Westminster media might want to see every meeting of two or more Labour MPs as a nascent leadership bid, that isn’t what this is about. It is about pooling resources and talents to reinvigorate centre-left thinking and to serve the Party with ideas and energy – in the very best spirit of our movement.
That means using the powers entrusted to us by the British people to build an economy fit for the 21st century; one where working people are better off and wealth and power are not concentrated in the hands of the privileged few.
So what does a centre-left economic vision look like in practice? First, an economy that serves people, communities, and the common good. That’s why measures like bringing our railways back into public ownership matter. When we own essential natural monopolies such as these, we can demand the service we deserve and protect ourselves from predatory practices.
Work should pay. Security should be the norm for those in work and those who can’t. Aspiration should be realistic. That is why we welcome measures such as the Employment Rights Act, which will strengthen workers’ rights across the country and the lifting of the two-child benefit cap.
Of course, the challenges do not stop there. Automation and artificial intelligence are already reshaping the world of work. Our task is to ensure that these changes enhance security and opportunity, rather than erode them, and that working people share in the gains of innovation.
Voters will judge Labour on whether we understand the economic reality they face. If we do not, we will be discarded just as decisively as the Conservatives were. At our relaunch party Ed Miliband quoted Neil Kinnock, describing Tribune as the home of those “with dreams, but who are not dreamers”. In 2026 – Tribune’s 60th year – our ambition is simple: to turn those dreams into real, tangible change for the people we serve.
Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.
We will focus on developing practical, credible ideas for economic renewal rooted in equality and solidarity, as well as campaigning across the country. We will work tirelessly to bring the ideas and the energy to this government that allow us to deliver on an idea that is ancient yet radical. That we are all better off when something strong stands between the elite and the people; that a nation is more than the sums on its balance sheet; that a good economy serves the people and that an economy that expects the people to serve it is bad.
Labour wins when – as the Tribunes of Rome were charged with doing – it protects and leads the people. We are here to help the Party to remember that mission and to deliver on it.
Debbie Abrahams
Debbie Abrahams is MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.@Debbie_abrahamsView all articles by Debbie Abrahams
Beccy Cooper
Dr Beccy Cooper is the MP for Worthing West.View all articles by Beccy Cooper
Vicky Foxcroft
Vicky Foxcroft is Labour MP for Lewisham North.@vickyfoxcroftView all articles by Vicky Foxcroft
Louise Haigh
Louise Haigh is MP for Sheffield Heeley and former Transport Secretary.@LouHaighView all articles by Louise Haigh
Justin Madders
Justin Madders is MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough.@justinmaddersView all articles by Justin Madders
Sarah Owen
Sarah Owen is MP for Luton North and Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee.@SarahOwen_View all articles by Sarah Owen
Yuan Yang
Yuan Yang is the MP for Earley and Woodley.View all articles by Yuan Yang
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