Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, is set to lead the line-up of speakers at this summer’s Big Tent Festival in Bristol.
Mr Gove, who also has housing and community in his portfolio, has accepted an invitation to take part in the two-day event, which will give business leaders the opportunity to discuss key issues for the city, along with national and local politicians from all major parties. 
Topics on the agenda for the festival range from the drive towards net zero to the reinvention of high streets.
The festival, which will take place on June 10 and 11 in Bristol’s Queen Square under the title of Transitions, will also look at the changing role of social media, food poverty and housing provision among a host of topics to be aired at a series of panel and round-table discussions.
Alongside these, the festival will include a Speakers’ Corner, an art wall and a Dragons’ Den-style event, where the next generation of Bristol entrepreneurs can be matched with potential investors
The Big Tent Festival takes place each year in different cities outside London. Last year’s, staged in Coventry to coincide with its term as UK city of culture, was the first post-Covid large-scale political event.
The speaker line-up so far is:
- Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Community
- Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol
- George Freeman MP, minister for science, research and innovation
- Stephen Kinnock MP, shadow minister for immigration
- Sir Ed Davey MP, leader of the Liberal Democrats
- Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat MP spokesperson for foreign and commonwealth affairs and international development
- Cllr Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party
- Darren Jones MP for Bristol North West and chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee
- Kerry McCarthy MP for Bristol East
- Anna Turley, former MP for Redcar
- Bruce Daisley, former head of Twitter in Europe
- Mark Robinson, chair, Government High Street Taskforce.
More speakers are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
The event, being staged at the invitation of Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees, will bring together ministers, shadow ministers, local, national and international politicians, policymakers, business leaders and campaigners for a day’s discussion and debate, leading to real policy outcomes.
For more information and tickets click here
