Frances O'Grady to Give the 2026 Alice Bacon Lecture

Former General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Labour peer Frances O'Grady will deliver the 2026 Alice Bacon Lecture at the University of Leeds on Thursday 12th March 2026.

The lecture will take place at 18:30 – 19:30 in the Great Hall at the University of Leeds. Doors will open at 17:30. A drinks reception in Parkinson Court will follow the lecture. This is a public lecture and it is free to attend – to secure a place, please register for a ticket.

Accesssibility and Event Queries

If you have any accessibility requirements, or another query, please get in touch as soon as possible with the event organiser, Adrienne Mortimer ([email protected]).

Lecture Summary

Women’s lives have transformed since Alice Bacon was first elected to Parliament. The Pill revolutionised reproductive choices and today women are having fewer babies, later. There are more women at work than ever before, and the gender pay gap has narrowed. The grassroots Me Too movement blew the lid off sexual harassment at work and over half of trade union members are now women.

But the battle for equality is far from won. While the Labour Party can claim credit for boosting women’s representation in parliament, it has never had a (permanent) woman leader. Covid exposed how much the economy depends on key workers - mostly women - and at the same time how little their work is valued. Paid parental leave for new mums and dads remains among the worst in Europe, even though it is one of the most effective ways of closing the gender pay gap. And shockingly, the Epstein files have revealed a transnational system of super-wealth steeped in alt-right ideology and sexual exploitation.

Today, right-wing populism poses the biggest threat to women’s rights. Labour entered power with a promise to grow a fairer economy, lift living standards, and halve violence against women and girls. But big tech and finance continue to drive inequality, and the extreme Right is exploiting ordinary people’s sense of fear, powerlessness, and humiliation. Frances O’Grady will explore what’s gone wrong in Britain, and how Labour can deliver a real new deal for working women and men alike.

About Frances O'Grady

Frances was the first woman to hold the post of General Secretary for the TUC, taking up the position in 2013. She stood down in 2023 and was appointed as a Labour peer to co-lead opposition in the Lords to the then Conservative government's anti-strikes Minimum Service Levels Bill.

Starting as a T&G union rep and throughout her working life, Frances has campaigned tirelessly for workers’ rights. Fair pay, and race and gender equality, are core ambitions of hers.

She has worked on several successful campaigns for the introduction of a national minimum wage and equal pay for women. In 1997 she was appointed to head up the TUC's New Unionism campaign and launched the Organising Academy. The Academy aims to challenge the stereotypical image of the trade unionist as 'male, pale and stale', to a profile better suited to the TUC’s six million plus membership – which is now 50:50 men and women.

On behalf of the TUC, Frances played a prominent role in the campaign for Britain to remain in the European Union. During Covid, Frances led negotiations for the furlough scheme which protected 11 million jobs. Frances now sits on the board of GB Energy to represent workers' interests and champion a just transition.

About the Lecture Series

The Alice Bacon Lecture is an annual public event and celebrates the achievements of pioneering women, and is hosted by the University of Leeds’ Centre for Democratic Politics. It is named for the Leeds Labour MP, who was elected to represent Leeds North East in 1945. Leeds did not return another woman to the Commons until the election in 2010 of Leeds West and Pudsey MP, and now Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP. Ms Reeves partnered with the University’s School of Politics and International Studies to establish the lectures in the name of her trailblazing forebear, with the aim of celebrating the achievements of successful women – locally and nationally. Previous speakers include Harriet Harman; Baroness Hale of Richmond; Baroness Doreen Lawrence; Professor Mary Beard; Dame Sharon White; and Naga Munchetty.

Press Enquiries

For press enquiries, please contact Victoria Prest ([email protected]).

Location

To find the Great Hall, please see the campus map.

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