Long-serving politician, Lord David Blunkett, to speak at Harold Wilson Lecture
Long-serving British politician, Lord David Blunkett, is to return to the University of Huddersfield to speak at the institution’s annual lecture series named in honour of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
The Rt Hon the Lord Blunkett will take to the stage at the 2026 Harold Wilson Lecture in March to deliver a talk entitled From the General Strike to the Age of AI: Harold Wilson and Labour’s Enduring Challenge.
Lord Blunkett has a long-standing connection to the University of Huddersfield, having studied for a teaching qualification at the institution in the 1970s and later receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University in 2017.
The theme of the lecture is framed by two anniversaries and will reflect on continuity and change in British politics – namely Labour’s 1966 victory under Harold Wilson and the centenary of the 1926 General Strike.
Lord Blunkett will explore Wilson’s leadership as a statesman, political navigator and Yorkshire radical, shaped by education, nonconformity and an instinctive understanding of the electorate.
The lecture will also examine the tensions between politics and economics, particularly Wilson’s struggles with Treasury orthodoxy, international pressures and institutional reform, alongside the profound social changes of the 1960s.
Drawing parallels between the “white heat” of the technological revolution then and the rise of artificial intelligence now, he will reflect on Labour’s enduring challenges, the art of political leadership, and the enduring purpose of public service.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Tim Thornton, commented: “Lord Blunkett joins a distinguished list of previous Harold Wilson Lecturers drawn from politics, the church, and public life more widely. At a particularly significant point in the country's political development, it is a privilege to welcome Lord Blunkett back to campus to hear his thoughts on Huddersfield-born Prime Minister Harold Wilson's leadership and lessons for the future.”
Lord Blunkett, who was born with a rare genetic condition that left him blind, has himself had a long and influential career in public service, having been elected as the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside in 1987, a seat he went on to hold for 28 years.
After Labour’s 1997 General Election victory, he served as a senior member of Tony Blair’s Cabinet for eight years, holding key roles, including Secretary of State for Education and Employment and Home Secretary.
He was awarded a peerage after leaving the Commons in 2015, taking the title Lord Blunkett of Brightside and Hillsborough in the City of Sheffield, and entered the House of Lords.
The annual lecture series is named in honour of the Huddersfield-born former Prime Minister who won four General Elections, spending around eight years at 10 Downing Street in total.
- The lecture is free to attend and takes place on Thursday 26 March, starting at 6.30pm in the University’s Oastler Building. Tickets can be reserved via Eventbrite.