At this year’s Annual Delegate Conference, we heard speeches from keynote speakers including FDA General Secretary Dave Penman and Former First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford. You can watch their full speeches below.
FDA General Secretary Dave Penman opened his speech with criticism of the government’s “top down, evidence-free micromanagement” of the civil service and called on whoever forms the next government to “give the civil service the stability it craves”.
Former First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford focused his speech on the importance of a “sense of public service” to motivate good government and improving diversity in institutions like the civil service.
Read our detailed report of all keynote speeches, which, in addition to Penman and Drakeford, feature Civil Service Chief Operating Officer Cat Little and NAHT General Secretary Paul Whiteman.
This week, the FDA attended the 2026 TUC Congress in Brighton. FDA delegates spoke to and moved motions on a range of topics, including the review of the civil service, supporting effective management, accountability and safe contracting in the NHS, and the importance of an evidence-led approach to regulation.
Yesterday, FDA staff and reps attended the 2026 Fast Stream annual Base Camp, welcoming this year’s new joiners to the scheme and sharing the benefits of FDA membership with them.
An FDA delegation attended this year’s TUC LGBT+ Workers’ Conference in Brighton.
