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Admittedly, I don’t think I’m old enough to get an award like this - but it was still a great honour to receive the International House “2019 Alumna of the Year” from the Chancellor of Berkeley, Carol Christ, and the Director of International House, Hans Giesecke. The award was to “recognize Oona’s work as a member of the British Parliament, her advocacy for human rights, and her visionary leadership as the Director of Diversity Strategy at Google.”

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The Battle to Engage: Renewing democracy for the next generation

It’s time to re-write the compact between people and politicians, citizen and state. This means genuinely embedding democracy in our current governance structures, and inventing new ones that give more power to the people, and in particular young people. By redistributing influence we tackle entrenched inequality, and help build stronger communities. Our task is complicated by a globalised world, with a churning population, that makes it harder to build cohesive communities – and easier to stir up hate.

Managing diversity and building social cohesion are key challenges of our time. As people feel greater insecurity, witness widespread change, and feel less control over their lives, they become either despairing or angry, and withdraw from the democratic process. These days, democracy-rage drives people insane: the rage against those in charge, the inability to pin them against the wall, and the conviction that politicians just don’t care.

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"If you want to know how to tackle inequality at home and abroad, then this is a must-read report. Here's what the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Save the Children, Brendan Cox, has to say:

A new report from Save the Children ‘Born Equal - How reducing inequality could give our children a better future,’ looks at how rising inequality hits children hardest. This trend has accompanied economic growth in all countries, and could be tackled in the post-2015 development agenda.

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Ken Livingstone is planning to bring his former rival Oona King into City Hall if he is elected London mayor next week. Lady King will be the young people's champion implementing Labour's manifesto for young Londoners, if Livingstone beats Boris Johnson on 3 May, though the status of her advisory role remains unclear at this stage.

The surprise announcement, a week before polling day, comes 19 months after Livingstone promised to make use of King's talents after he beat her in Labour's selection process for a mayoral candidate.

Livingstone said of his decision to bring the former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow into the fold: "I was consistently impressed by Oona's ideas to help young Londoners during the Labour selection contest. I told her then I'd steal her best policies – now I've gone further, asking her to lead on our work with London's young people and I'm delighted that she's agreed.

"Oona will form an integral part of a fresh Labour administration at City Hall, as we work together to stand up for Londoners being hit hard by a Tory onslaught."