A new initiative, the National Conversation project, has been launched to address growing divisions in the UK, with former Conservative chancellor Sajid Javid warning the country risks 'being torn apart by our differences'. The project is led by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, co-chaired by Javid and former Labour policy chief Jon Cruddas, and convened by the Together Coalition.
The commission includes figures such as human rights activist Sara Khan, former West Midlands mayor Andy Street, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chair Laura Marks, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, and Reform UK activist Tim Montgomerie. The project asks the public to share their personal vision of their community and country through a 10-minute survey and a 60-second voice note.
Key questions include what it means to be British, English, Scottish or Welsh, and what unites or divides the public. The survey, designed by Oxford University's Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, will use AI to analyse voice notes for emotional register and language. Polling by the British Red Cross found 75% of UK adults believe Britain is divided, and 72% say it has become more divided in the last five years.
Jon Cruddas stated: 'Rebuilding Britain's social fabric and sense of community has never been more urgent. But the answers to this don't lie in Westminster. They lie in communities up and down the country.' Playwright James Graham, who advised on the project's design, said he hoped it would be 'the first serious attempt' to set out a shared national vision.
The National Conversation runs from 18 May to the end of August, with a report combining public insight and academic research to be published later this year. Previous commission evidence sessions have included figures such as Michael Gove, Mary Beard, Paul Johnson, and David Cameron.
