In this event, two unlikely bedfellows – politics and poetry – share a stage.

Politics rarely has the elegance, succinctness or sense of balance found in poetry. It tends to more closely resemble a tragicomedy. Most of the time, it’s just The Thick of It.

In September 2015, Jeremy Corbyn surprised everyone (especially himself), in receiving the nomination to become the Leader of the Labour Party. Now, it’s not been the smoothest ride – in the eyes of many, it’s been a very contentious appointment (though further discussion of this is best saved for another article). But his was an undeniably an extraordinary mandate, and one that inspired many. On the day of his election, he said, ‘The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love.’

Corbyn didn’t come up with these words himself (remember what I was saying earlier about politics and poetry rarely meeting?). The author of those words poet Ben Okri, who responded with a poem dedicated to Corbyn, ‘A New Dream of Politics’. At this event, Corbyn and Okri meet for the first time to discuss the values that they share, and their dream of a new type of politics - and a brighter future.