A FORMER Cabinet minister will deliver this year’s John P Mackintosh Memorial Lecture.
The theme of the lecture, which will be held in Haddington Parish at St Mary’s Kirk, will be ‘A Modern Britain’.
The Rt Hon Darren Jones MP will focus on three key issues shaping the future – artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, and geopolitics.
A spokesperson for the lecture, which takes place on November 30, said: “Darren Jones is regarded as a leading voice on technology policy in the UK Parliament, and is currently working on the interplay between AI, climate and public policy - with a warning for governments and technology companies that their failure to properly understand the impact of these on the public could result in a populist backlash.
“Mr Jones was first elected to Parliament as the Labour member for Bristol North West in the 2017 election and was re-elected in 2019 and 2024.
“He has served in the cabinet as chief secretary to the Prime Minister, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, minister for intergovernmental relations and chief secretary to the treasury.
"Prior to entering Government, he served as shadow chief secretary to the treasury and chair of the House of Commons business committee.”
The John P Mackintosh Memorial Lecture, organised by a joint University of Edinburgh and East Lothian lecture committee, is held in honour of the former MP for Berwick and East Lothian (1966 to February 1974 and October 1974 to 1978).
A leading academic and writer, John Mackintosh was professor of politics at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde, and was an early champion of devolution.
He died in office in 1978, aged 48.
The prestigious memorial lecture which carries his name was first delivered in 1980 and has since provided a platform for many prominent public figures from Scottish and UK politics and the wider international stage, including former, serving and future Prime Ministers, cabinet ministers, First Ministers, party leaders and more.
Doors open for the lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, at 7pm and the lecture begins at 7.30pm.
For more information, go to www.jpmackintosh.ed.ac.uk
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