Opening the debate, speaking for the motion, was Terri White, Editor-in-Chief of Empire magazine. In her passionate tribute to the industry, Terri spoke of the global impact Empire has as a cultural force, referencing that 76 per cent of millennial's still consume magazine media each month. “We make culture”, she argued. “Our fingerprints are all over it.”

Seconding the motion Paul McNamee, UK Editor of The Big Issue, asked the audience to cast their minds back to 1991 when the title he now edits was founded in London, and has since been exported around the world as a force for good, reaching all corners of the globe. “The revolution will not be televised” McNamee said, “it will be driven through the words and pictures of magazines.”

In opposing the motion, the Chief Executive of Advertising Association, Stephen Woodford, set out the argument that while magazines are great, they are only one jewel in the larger crown that is the British creative industry.

“The UK is number one in the world for soft power… our cultural and digital sectors contribute hugely to that and it’s the entirety of Britain’s creative sector that drives our global position.”

Also speaking against the motion and making the case for advertising as this country’s greatest cultural export, was Heather Young, Deputy Director of Credos. She argued that while there are “plenty of examples of great exports, the UK exports more in advertising services than it imports, with a surplus of £3.8 billion.”

After a balance of interjections from the floor, the closing remarks were made and a vote was put the floor, with the motion narrowly passing, 29 votes to 28.

The debate was chaired by Debating Group Vice President, Lord McNally.