Bob Geldof, Grayson Perry and Tom Hollander join The Independent’s star-studded 40th celebrations

A host of celebrities, politicians, actors and campaigners gathered at the British Museum on Wednesday night for a star-studded celebration of The Independent’s 40th anniversary.

Surrounded by precious artefacts in the museum’s Enlightenment Gallery, Sir Bob Geldof, actor Tom Hollander and artist Grayson Perry rubbed shoulders with Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.

Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch chatted and joked with Sir Bob, while health secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain’s top female banker Dame Debbie Crosby, CEO of Nationwide, campaigner Bianca Jagger, Labour MP Jess Phillips and former business secretary Peter Kyle joined in the fun.

The 250 guests, who enjoyed drinks and canapes, were invited to a private viewing of the 70 metre -long Bayeux Tapestry as part of the night’s celebrations.

Former editors Andrew Marr, Amol Rajan – fresh from his recent appearance on the BBC’s The Traitors – and former Independent on Sunday editor Janet Street Porter were among those present.

Editor-in-chief Geordie Greig welcomed the 250 guests to the museum, telling them that the party coincided with the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings on October 14 1066.

Paying tribute to the origins of The Independent, he said: “In 1986, our founders were primal disruptors. They launched a newspaper without a proprietor, with a name that was a mission statement: The Independent.

“We are now entering as era which I would call Indy 3.0. Indy 1.0 was print: bold, imaginative and deft. Indy 2.0 was digital-only: bold, imaginative and deft.

“By going digital we bet the house, and for the past decade we have been profitable, always adapting. Now comes Indy 3.0, in the age of AI. Once again, we intend to be bold, imaginative and deft.”

On Wednesday, prime minister Andy Burnham paid a glowing tribute to the “bravery, spirit and values” of The Independent.

In a letter to mark the anniversary, he said the digital news provider should be lauded for consistently championing “democracy, human rights” and the UK’s role on the world stage since it was launched in 1986.

“There is something I particularly admire, something I relate to, even about The Independent’s history of challenging the status quo, even when it might have been easier to go along with the crowd.”

At the British Museum, Mr Greig said The Independent prided itself on telling stories in “film, podcasts and social media and always words”.

He went on: “We are becoming a new kind of news organisation, constantly changing how we reach people and tell them what matters.

“My favourite stat is 13 billion views across all our platforms. More far reaching than our founders could ever have dreamt.”

And, nodding to the growing advances in technology and AI, he said: “Our industry is wrestling with enormous change. We will adapt, experiment and take risks. But we will not change our values.

“Thank you to everyone who has brought The Independent this far. We have survived by changing, and we will thrive by continuing to do so.”

The Independent is running a series of events to mark its 40th anniversary, including a week of independent film screenings at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London from October 19.