Recent years have seen a huge surge in media discussion of “culture wars” in the UK – but despite this, the public have only a limited understanding of the debate, as shown in research by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Ipsos MORI. In the 90s, the term was mainly associated with issues of party politics, but now it’s a magnet for a wide range of divisive issues: from views on lockdown and the removal of statues, to singing Rule Britannia! and trans rights, any controversial topic can quickly be dubbed a new “fault line” in the culture wars.

But who’s actually waging these battles? And even if the public aren’t particularly engaged in them, can we relax? Or do we need to guard against ending up with US-style divisions? Join the Policy Institute, Ipsos MORI and Bright Blue as they discuss if we should be trying to win a culture war, or whether we can just call it off.

Panellists:

• Bobby Duffy (chair), Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London
• Ayesha Hazarika, broadcaster, comedian and former senior Labour advisor
• Holly Lynch, MP for Halifax and Shadow Home Office Minister
• Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI
• Ryan Shorthouse, Chief Executive of Bright Blue