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Harold Wilson remembered in celebratory lecture

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Veteran Labour politician The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP delivered the inaugural Harold Wilson Lecture at the University of Bradford, entitled 'Harold Wilson – Statesman and Visionary'.

The lecture, the latest event to celebrate the , attracted a capacity audience to hear him reflect on Wilson's impact both as Prime Minister and as the first Chancellor of the University of Bradford.

In Wilson's centenary year, this was the second lecture Alan has given that celebrates his political career. As Labour leader, he won four of the five general elections he contested, and enacted social reforms in education, health, housing, gender equality, price controls, pensions, provisions for disabled people and child poverty. His last speech in Parliament in 1981 was about Bradford.

The lecture was attended by son and daughter-in-law of Harold Wilson, Robin and Joy, and many colleagues and admirers of Wilson including Baroness Ann Taylor, Baroness Haleh Afshah, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bradford and Sir James Hill.

The University continued its 50th anniversary celebrations with the Vice-Chancellor's Lecture series.

A capacity audience came to hear keynote speaker Will Hutton, Principal of Hertford College, Oxford, writer, economic, financial and business television and radio commentator and Chair of the Big Innovation Centre, deliver his lecture titled 'A Perfect Storm: The Multiple Crises Overrunning Britain'.

The lecture explored the referendum that resulted in Britain voting to leave the EU. During his lecture he discussed the factors that contributed to the result and the economic, cultural and constitutional challenges Britain now faces. Will continued his lecture stressing the importance of people influencing the terms of Brexit, of the need to reimagine how society works and of the continued relationship between Britain and the EU.

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