We write as members of the UK academic community. We are deeply concerned by the marginalisation of expertise in the media coverage of the general election. In particular we would like to highlight the lack of attention paid to recent analyses by economists and employment lawyers in relation to the possibilities that the Labour Manifesto presents for revitalising and positively transforming the UK economy. 

Together with these 163 economists and 54 employment lawyers, we would like to emphasise the Labour Manifesto’s proposals for more equitable global economic relations and its commitment to a more ecologically sustainable and socially just international economy. 

We therefore endorse these letters by our colleagues and call upon the media to refocus the debate on the policies and not the personalities in this election. This will allow voters to form a more comprehensive and informed view of the options available to them in this election and beyond.

In this time of international economic, social, political and environmental crises, it is our collective responsibility to foster an informed and reasoned debate of the issues that we are confronting as a global society.

Sincerely

Professor Donatella Alessandrini, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Nour Abu-Assab, Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration 

Dr Amanda Bates, Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent

Dr Josh Bowsher, Brunel Law School, Brunel University London

Professor Bill Bowring, Birkbeck Law School, Birkbeck College, University of London

Dr Sandeep Bakshi, University of Paris Diderot

Dr Gideon Calder, Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences, Swansea University

Dr Henrique Carvalho, Birkbeck Law School, Birkbeck College, University of London

Professor Mick Carpenter, Social Policy, University of Warwick

Dr Jane Charlesworth, School of Medicine, University of Warwick

Dr Heejung Chung, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Stephen Connelly, School of Law, University of Warwick

Dr Joshua Curtis, School of Law, University of Liverpool

Dr Rohit K Dasgupta, Institute for Media and Creative Industries, Loughborough University

Dr Daria Davitti, Law, School of Law, University of Nottingham

Dr Peter Dwyer, Global Sustainable Development, School for Cross-Faculty Studies, University of Warwick

Tamsyn Eida, Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent

Dr Luis Eslava, Law, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Lindsay Forbes, Health Services Studies, University of Kent

Dr Iain Frame, School of Law, University of Kent

Professor Adam Gearey, School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London. 

Professor Barry Goldson, Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool

Dr Anna Hajkova, Department of History, University of Warwick

Dr Kirsty Horsey, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Leon Sealey-Huggins, Global Sustainable Development, School for Cross-Faculty Studies, University of Warwick

Dr Ben Hunter, Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Humanities, University of Greenwich

Dr Suhraiya Jivraj, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Emily Jones, School of Law, University of Essex

Dr Hannah Jones, Sociology, University of Warwick

Dr Sarah Keenan, Birkbeck Law School, Birkbeck College, University of London

Dr Sara Kendall, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Derek Kirton, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Tor Krever, School of Law, University of Warwick

Professor Annamaria La Chimia, School of Law Law, University of Nottingham

Dr Sarah Lamble, Birkbeck Law School, Birkbeck College, University of London

Dr Laura Lammasniemi, School of Law, University of Warwick

Dr Elena Loizidou, School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London.

Mrs Kumari Lane, School of Law, Queen Mary University of London and Birkbeck Law School, Birkbeck College University of London

Professor Robert MacDonald, Education, University of Huddersfield. 

Professor Fiona Macmillan, Law, Birkbeck Law School, Birkbeck College, University of London

Dr Julie McCandless, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Angela Martinez Dy, Business, Loughborough University

Professor Glynis Murphy, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Nof Nasser-Eddin, Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration

Dr Serena Natile, Law, Brunel Law School, Brunel University London

Dr Jayan Nayar, School of Law, University of Warwick

Dr Rachel O’Neill, Sociology, University of Warwick

Dr Rose Parfitt, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Connal Parsley, School of Law, University of Kent

Professor Jennie Popay, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University

Dr Hannah Phillips, School of Law, University of Kent

Ali Raiss-Tousi, School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London

Dr Sweta Rajan-Rankin, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Rachel Robbins, School of Social Work, Care and Community, University of Central Lancashire

Professor Christopher Rootes, Environmental Politics, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Alexandra V Sardani, Social Sciences, Swansea University

Dr Christine Schwöbel-Patel, School of Law, University of Warwick

Dr Rachel Seoighe, Criminology, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Professor Sally Sheldon, School of Law, University of Kent

Professor Tim Strangleman, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent 

Dr Trude Sundberg, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Celine Tan, School of Law, University of Warwick

Dr Paraskevi Triantafyllopoulou, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Anil Yilmaz Vastardis, School of Law, University of Essex

Dr Sophie Vigneron, School of Law, University of Kent

Dr Jo Warner, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Beckie Whelton, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Professor Iain Wilkinson, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent

Dr Khursheed Wadia, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick

Dr Illan Wall, School of Law, University of Warwick

Dr Thanos Zartaloudis, School of Law, University of Kent, and Architectural Association

Dr Asta Zokaityte, School of Law, University of Kent