QED 2025 - featuring Matt Winning, and the real and fake threats to free speech

We are delighted to announce the next two additions to the line-up for the final QED: our panel on free speech, and climate policy expert and standup comedian Dr Matt Winning on the main stage.

Dr Matt Winning is a climate change comedian and expert environmental lecturer at University College London. He performs live comedy shows about global warming at festivals and events across the world, including at COP28, Royal Institution, New Scientist, Bluedot, HowTheLightGetsIn, UK Schools Climate Assembly and many more. He hosted the BBC Radio 4 series ‘Net Zero: A Very British Problem’ and has a TEDx talk about the importance of using humour to discuss the topic, a tool which he used extensively in his debut book HOT MESS: What On Earth Can We Do About Climate Change. Matt has a PhD in climate policy, with much of his research cited in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.

Free speech and the culture war - Free speech is a fundamental right in a free society, and one that must be defended. It is also an issue that has, in many cases, been co-opted by groups keen to mask their ideological positions from criticism, and to attack the rights of others. While some of the most high-profile and celebrated cases of free speech oppression are often not what they seem, there remain genuine threats to free expression and the right to protest that the most vocal ‘free speech absolutists’ remain noticeably silent on. How can those of us who passionately care about free speech tell the real threats from the manufactured culture war ragebait? Featuring Ruth Ehrlich, Thomas Smith, Lydia Smith, and Matthew Sweet.

While in-person tickets to this final QED are now sold out, all of our content from the main stage, panel room and live podcast room will be available via an online streaming ticket - pick up yours today!