Sam Freedman - Failed State: The Sunday Times Bestselling Investigation Into Why Britain is Struggling

Sam Freedman is coming to The Old Market on Sunday 11 October, talking about his Sunday Times bestselling book, Failed State: The Sunday Times Bestselling Investigation Into Why Britain is Struggling. The session is part of the Brighton & Hove Speakers Festival, and it's set up as a talk followed by a Q&A, so there's a chance to ask your own questions after he's laid out his case.

Freedman is a political commentator, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, and a regular Financial Times columnist. He's worked inside the machinery he writes about, having advised at the highest levels of government and served as Senior Adviser to Education Secretary Michael Gove. That background comes through in Failed State, which The Times called "excellent... persuasive... convincing" and Emily Maitlis described as "funny, whipsmart and devastating. Sanity on steroids."

In the talk, he draws on the book to argue that Britain's problems don't come down to individual politicians, but to broken state institutions, a culture of short-termism, and constant ministerial churn. He traces how partisan tribalism and institutional neglect have hollowed out Whitehall, and he frames it not as a talk of despair, but as a case for renewal built on professionalism, accountability, and long-term thinking. It's a constructive argument for rebuilding public trust and capacity, rather than just a list of what's gone wrong.

The session runs from 11:50 to 13:00, with doors opening at 11:30, so it's a late-morning slot on a Sunday. Tickets are £16.00, and the venue is The Old Market, 11A Upper Market St, Brighton and Hove, BN3 1AS.