- Pritzker Fellows
- Former Fellows
- Douglas Alexander
Douglas Alexander
Former British Labour Politician who Served as Shadow Foreign Secretary & Member of Parliament
Fall 2016 Visiting Pritzker Fellow
Seminar Series: “Brexit and its Aftermath: The View from Great Britain”
Biography
Douglas Alexander, a prominent British Labour politician, served in leadership roles in the U.K. government between 2001 and 2015, including as Minister of State for Europe, as Secretary of State of International Development and as Shadow Foreign Secretary. Alexander also served as Labour Party leader Ed Miliband’s election strategist in last year’s general election in Britain.
Alexander currently serves as Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and as a visiting professor at King's College, London. He is a member of the UK Privy Council and a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations. In November 2015, Douglas accepted a role with U2 frontman Bono as a senior advisor on how best to secure investment to tackle global poverty, particularly in Africa. He also works as a strategic advisor to an international law firm based in London.
Douglas was first elected a Member of Parliament from Scotland in 1997. He coordinated the Labour Party’s 2001 general election campaign for then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and in 2003, he became a Government Minister in the Cabinet Office. Douglas went on to hold several senior positions including Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, and Minister of State for Europe. In 2006 Douglas was appointed to the Cabinet by Tony Blair, becoming the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Transport. In 2007 Douglas became the Secretary of State for International Development and served as the UK’s Governor to the World Bank. Following the 2010 General Election Douglas served in Her Majesty’s Official Opposition and was appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary for the UK from 2011 – 2015. Douglas also served as the Labour Party's Chair of General Election Strategy.
Seminars
“Brexit & its Aftermath: The View from Great Britain”
Former UK Cabinet Minister Douglas Alexander will draw on his experience as Minister of State for Europe, Shadow Foreign Secretary and as a chief campaign strategist to discuss the complexities of this summer’s Brexit vote in the UK. In a three-event series, Alexander will explore the changing nature of politics in the UK, Europe and the U.S. He also will assess the rise of populist politics and examine this year’s EU referendum campaign in the UK, the U.S. presidential campaign and the Scottish Independence referendum campaign in 2014. After more than a decade at the highest level of UK politics, representing the UK Government in Europe and at the World Bank, Alexander will share his insights on how the UK’s Brexit vote will impact Britain, Europe, and the U.S.
On June 23 the British people voted to leave the European Union. Following a divisive campaign that pitted cooperation and economic stability against sovereignty, control and immigration restrictions, voters by a clear majority chose the latter. This seminar will explain the process of Brexit and examine what this means for the continent and the wider West. How will Brexit shape Britain’s new relationship with Europe? What will be the impact for the U.S.’ relationship with Britain and the rest of Europe? Alexander also will evaluate the Brexit campaign, voter attitudes and why Britain chose Brexit.
Former top British Labour politician Douglas Alexander will explore several key questions facing Britain, Europe, and the U.S in 2016: How will the UK’s exit from Europe impact the UK, the EU, the U.S. and the wider West? What does it mean in practical terms when the British Prime Minister says “Brexit means Brexit?” What will the outcome of the U.S. presidential election mean for Britain and the ‘special relationship?’ Alexander, a former Shadow Foreign Secretary, will discuss the forces that gave rise to the Brexit vote in the UK and the rise of populist politics on both sides of the Atlantic.
“We are sick of experts,” one prominent Brexit campaigner said during the UK’s EU referendum. This simple assertion before the Brexit victory highlights a disdain for institutions and authority and an assault on fact and reason that has altered the political discourse not only in Britain but throughout Western democracies. This seminar will look at key influencers of voter attitudes such as the global financial crisis, economic instability, immigration, the Internet, and social media, to explain the successful breakthrough of populist movements in Britain, across Europe and in the U.S. What does this changed political landscape mean for politics of the center ground? How has it altered the way we engage in political debate? Can we counter the rise of populism or are we destined to see a decade of populist politics?