Defunct
107-537: Defunct Policy Exchange is a British right-wing conservative think tank based in London. In 2007 it was described in The Daily Telegraph as "the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right ". Policy Exchange is a registered charity. Although Policy Exchange is a registered charity, it refuses to disclose the sources of its funding and is ranked as one of the least transparent think tanks in
214-523: A 2010 article headlined Spoon feeding lazy journalists , The Economist characterised Open Europe in these words: Calling itself an independent think tank, which it is not, Open Europe does two exceedingly clever things to influence British press coverage of Europe. Its (admirably multi-national) team of young researchers reads the English-language, French, Dutch, Belgian, German and Nordic press every day, and translates and links to stories that show
321-576: A Policy Exchange event at Labour Party Conference in autumn 2020, argued that there is a need to "reset" British foreign policy towards the Indo-Pacific. This idea has been pursued by Policy Exchange in its Indo-Pacific Commission, a project chaired by Stephen Harper , former Canadian PM, and given public support by Shinzo Abe , former Japanese Prime Minister, who argued in a foreword to the Commission's first report: "Britain can work with countries throughout
428-665: A better place to live and work. Grown out of the Capital City Foundation initiative, Liveable London focuses on the everyday experiences of Londoners, addressing both structural and small challenges the capital faces. The New Politics Monitor is a project that seeks to chart and understand the ongoing transformation of British politics." Reports include Academic freedom in the UK and An Age of Incivility . In October 2022, Labour MP Rosie Duffield , SNP MP Joanna Cherry , and Conservative peer Baroness Jenkin of Kennington announced
535-621: A conservative party", and her ideology has been seen as confronting "established institutions" and the "accepted beliefs of the elite", both concepts incompatible with the traditional conception of conservatism as signifying support for the established order and existing social convention ( status quo ). Following a third consecutive general election defeat in 2005 , the Conservative Party selected David Cameron as party leader, followed by Theresa May in 2016, both of whom have served as Prime Minister and sought to modernise and change
642-497: A feature on Open Europe, in which its London correspondent wrote that Open Europe was "leaving its mark on the British discussion about Europe like no other". He added that it "dishes it out to all sides. EU critics eagerly seize on calculations of how much Brussels regulations have cost the UK or how much member states could save from reforming the EU's regime of agricultural subsidies . However,
749-536: A future UK-EU relationship, arguing that its proposals "[deserve] to be considered both in the UK and EU." Responding in October 2018 to Open Europe's report on the long-term economic consequences of a No Deal Brexit, the academics Anand Menon and Jonathan Portes said that Open Europe had successfully used "mainstream modelling techniques and assumptions that, while certainly debatable and arguably overoptimistic, are not as bad as some. They are not remotely comparable to
856-476: A group including Nicholas Boles (director), Michael Gove (chairman) and Francis Maude . While a shadow minister in the late 2000s during the Premiership of Gordon Brown , Francis Maude named being one of the co-founders as his proudest political achievement. Both Maude and Gove went on to become ministers in subsequent Conservative governments . In May 2007, Boles was succeeded as director by Anthony Browne ,
963-622: A higher cap. There has also been an emphasis on human rights , in particular the European Convention on Human Rights , whilst also supporting individual initiative. The 2010s saw greater division within the Conservative Party, almost exclusively over Brexit and the direction of the Brexit negotiations . Ahead of the 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union , 184 of the 330 Conservative MPs (55.7%) backed Remain, compared to 218 of
1070-427: A journalist and political correspondent for The Times . In September 2008, Browne stepped down to work for Boris Johnson , and was succeeded by Neil O'Brien , formerly director of Open Europe . In November 2012, O'Brien was appointed as a special adviser to George Osborne , and in 2013 he was succeeded by Dean Godson , formerly head of Policy Exchange's security unit. In November 2018, Mark Carney , Governor of
1177-498: A like mind, the essence of conservatism lies not in a body of theory, but in the disposition to maintain those institutions seen as central to the beliefs and practices of society." The old established form of English and, after the Act of Union , British conservatism, was the Tory Party . It reflected the attitudes of a rural landowning class, and championed the institutions of the monarchy,
SECTION 10
#17328561171771284-487: A major waste of resources that could be spent elsewhere. The group advocated full liberalisation, but conceded in a 2012 report that this was not politically realistic, and so proposed a compromise. They proposed a system of "agri-environmental allowances" which would be allocated according to environmental criteria and administered nationally. After complying with minimum standards, farmers would be free to opt out. EU level funding for rural development should be limited to only
1391-463: A national and European level, including a two-part Open Europe/ YouGov Deutschland poll on "German Voters Sentiments on Europe" ahead of the 2013 German federal election , and an Open Europe/ ComRes poll investigating the UK electorate's relationship with the EU. In 2013 Open Europe organised public simulated negotiations over reform of the European Union, and the UK's relationship with it, in
1498-520: A neutral stance in the 2016 EU referendum in the UK . In the wake of the UK's vote to leave the EU, Open Europe's research programme shifted to focus on three key aspects: the UK's new relationship with the EU, including trade, security and political cooperation; the most important opportunities for new trading relationships with nations outside the EU; productive international cooperation across areas such as immigration, research and development, cross-border investment and financial services. Open Europe
1605-634: A new "biology matters" policy unit at Policy Exchange aiming to document the spread of policies informed by what it called " gender identity theory" in the public sector , making a public call for evidence. Think tank Transparify , which is funded by the Open Society Foundations , ranked Policy Exchange as one of the three least transparent think tanks in the UK in relation to funding. Transparify's report How Transparent are Think Tanks about Who Funds Them 2016? rated them as 'highly opaque,' one of 'a handful of think tanks that refuse to reveal even
1712-522: A new report, entitled "Striking a Balance", which sets out its vision for a new UK-EU partnership after Brexit. It has also recently produced a report on the economic consequences of a No Deal Brexit and how they could be mitigated. On 7 February 2020, Open Europe announced it would close and its remaining contributors would join the Policy Exchange thinktank. "The exit of the United Kingdom from
1819-469: A paper by the economists Gerard Lyons and Liam Halligan which argued that the United Kingdom should leave the European Economic Area when it leaves the European Union and that the British economy could thrive trading under World Trade Organisation tariffs. In the week following its publication, Theresa May made a speech setting out her proposed approach to Brexit which incorporated many of
1926-418: A political podium. It describes itself as seeking localist , volunteer and free-market solutions to public policy problems, with research programmes covering education and social reform , energy and environment , Britain's place in the world, economics and industrial policy, housing policy , space, counter-terrorism and demography, integration and immigration . Policy Exchange was set up in 2002 by
2033-524: A range of expert witnesses, including Lord Sedwill , former Cabinet Secretary; Lord Blunkett , former Home Secretary; and Lord Maude , former Cabinet Office minister. The Commission published its final report, entitled "Government Reimagined: A Handbook for Reform", in May 2021. The report, which was written by Policy Exchange's Head of Technology Policy, Benjamin Barnard, received widespread media coverage. The report
2140-486: A so-called "wargame". The think tank published several studies on the impact of regulation, including a 2010 study analysing more than 2,000 Impact Assessments. It estimated that in 2009, EU regulation introduced since 1998 cost the UK economy £19.3 billion, accounting for 59% of the total cost of regulation in Britain in that year. The study also estimated the cumulative cost of EU regulation since 1998 at £124 billion, 71% of
2247-500: A sociologist at the University of Cambridge, summed up its political position and evolution as follows: "Policy Exchange (PX) is a right-of-centre think tank founded in 2002 by Conservative modernisers who believed their party needed to move beyond a strict adherence to Thatcherite ideas. Parallel to the rise of David Cameron, PX became ever more politically connected, while producing policy proposals on areas hitherto relatively neglected by
SECTION 20
#17328561171772354-403: A survey of public opinion which showed that two-thirds of people believe the leading social media companies are not doing enough to combat online radicalisation. Three-quarters of people want the companies to do more to locate and remove extremist content. The report explored a range of policy options for interdicting the supply-chain of extremist content. In covering the report, Con Coughlin of
2461-558: Is Professor Graham Gee, Professor of Public Law at the University of Sheffield . Contributors include Sir Patrick Elias , Timothy Endicott , John Finnis , Dame Susan Glazebrook , Sir Stephen Laws , Sir Noel Malcolm , Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve , Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers , and John Tasioulas . In September 2017, Andrew Gimson in ConservativeHome wrote that 'Policy Exchange's work on " lawfare ", as it came to be known,
2568-677: Is a price worth paying for strong market access. Manufacturers in highly regulated industries often follow EU rules anyway, in some cases even in the United States. But seeking to replicate the patchy Single Market in services would require the UK to give away too much control over its economy, for too little gain." Open Europe was opposed to the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, saying it wastes money, distributes it inequitably (with not enough going to environmental protection), de-insentivises modernisation, and represents
2675-455: Is a problem with the House of Lords in that it is very condescending towards the democratic vote. They seem to think that they know better than 17.4million people... their lordships are playing with fire and it would be a shame to burn down the historic house". The event was extensively covered in the national media. The organisation has previously conducted polling on EU-related issues at both at
2782-628: Is not, in my view, a tenable position..." Suella Braverman , the Attorney General for England and Wales , described the Judicial Power Project as "so influential, and so often mentioned in Parliament, both on the left and right. At times it seems that it is the only public defender of constitutional orthodoxy". Another attorney general, Sir Geoffrey Cox , said that "Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project provides an invaluable counterpoint to
2889-520: The 2015 general election . Although nominally a Conservative, Disraeli was sympathetic to some of the demands of the Chartists and argued for an alliance between the landed aristocracy and the working class against the increasing power of the middle class, helping to found the Young England group in 1842 to promote the view that the rich should use their power to protect the poor from exploitation by
2996-600: The Anglican Church , the family, and property as the best defence of the social order. In the early stages of the Industrial Revolution , it seemed to be totally opposed to a process that seemed to undermine some of these bulwarks, and the new industrial elite were seen by many as enemies to the social order. It split in 1846 following the repeal of the Corn Laws (the tariff on imported corn). Proponents of free trade in
3103-573: The Daily Telegraph called Policy Exchange "One of London's most effective think tanks, which has done ground-breaking research on the emerging jihadi threat" while William Booth of the Washington Post said that its "reports often inform government policy in Britain". In 2013 Policy Exchange published The Fog of Law , which argued that the increasing application of civilian norms to military conflict, and resulting increase in legal claims against
3210-456: The Lisbon Treaty and supported granting a referendum on the treaty through its "I Want A Referendum" campaign. Open Europe was neutral during the 2016 referendum campaign on EU membership. Its aim in doing so was to "strip the debate of adversarial hyperbole and substitute solid factual ground on which the British people can make this important decision." Since the referendum, it has produced
3317-458: The Policy Exchange think tank in 2020. Its stated mission was to "conduct rigorous analysis and produce recommendations on which to base the UK's new relationship with the EU and its trading relationships with the rest of the world." It promoted democratically grounded economic, trade and investment policies which foster growth, employment and freedom under the rule of law. The think tank described itself as being "non-partisan and independent" but
Policy Exchange - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-499: The "Flapper Election". A Neo-Tory movement flourished in the 1930s as part of a pan-European reaction against modernity. A network of right-wing intellectuals and allied politicians ridiculed democracy, liberalism and modern capitalism as degenerate. They warned against the emergence of a corporate state in Britain imposed from above. The intellectuals involved followed trends in Italy, France and especially Germany. The exchange of ideas with
3531-675: The "pre-eminent think tank in the Westminster village ". The policy ideas developed by the think tank which have been adopted as government policy include free schools , Police and crime commissioner , garden villages and protecting the armed forces from prosecution under human rights laws . Policy Exchange has a unit called Judicial Power Project that examines the power of the British judiciary and argues that unelected judges have accrued too much power. The significance of Policy Exchange in UK politics remains contentious, primarily due to its alignment with right-wing factions and its utilisation as
3638-574: The 2016 case R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union , publishing a number of arguments that were used by the Government in their Supreme Court appeal. The head of Judicial Power Project is Professor Richard Ekins , Tutorial Fellow in Law at St John's College, Oxford and Professor of Law and Constitutional Government in the University of Oxford ; the Project Website Editor
3745-534: The 232 Labour MPs (97%), and all MPs from the SNP and Liberal Democrats. Following the vote to leave on the morning of 24 June, Cameron said that he would resign as Prime Minister, and was replaced by Theresa May. In 2019, two new parliamentary caucuses were formed; One Nation Conservatives and Blue Collar Conservatives . Open Europe Open Europe was a British centre-right eurosceptic policy think tank with offices in London and Brussels, merging with
3852-630: The Bank of England , described Policy Exchange as "multidisciplinary, highly influential, a productive force at the heart of Westminster and our political system." In 2020, Iain Dale described Policy Exchange as "the pre-eminent think tank in the Westminster village". Although associated with the British centre-right, it has also attracts contributors from the political left; contributors have included Labour MPs such as Khalid Mahmood . In 2019, Marcos González Hernando,
3959-535: The Civil Service could be improved and modernised. The Policy Exchange Reform of Government Commission was composed of Dame Patricia Hodgson (Chair), Rt Hon Hazel Blears , Rt Hon Sir Lockwood Smith , Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court , Trevor Phillips , Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury , General Sir Peter Wall , Lord Caine of Temple Newsam , Rt Hon Baroness Morgan of Cotes , Ben Houchen , and Rt Hon Lord Hill of Oareford . The Commission heard from
4066-552: The Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg on Brexit, the EU, and Conservative Party politics. At the event, Rees-Mogg described Prime Minister Theresa May 's plan for a "customs partnership" with the EU as "cretinous". He argued that any post-Brexit immigration system that gave preference to EU migrants was "racist", and also criticised the House of Lords for rejecting parts of the EU Withdrawal Bill , saying: "There
4173-557: The Conservative Party created the Workers Defence Union (WDU), which was designed to frighten the working class into voting for them . Though the WDU initially promoted tariff reform to protect domestic factory jobs, it soon switched to launching xenophobic and antisemitic attacks on immigrant workers and business owners, achieving considerable success by arousing fears of " alien subversion". The WDU's messages found recipients among
4280-459: The Conservative approach and strengthened Conservatism as a grassroots political force. Conservatism no longer was the philosophical defence of the landed aristocracy but had been refreshed into redefining its commitment to the ideals of order, both secular and religious, expanding imperialism, strengthened monarchy, and a more generous vision of the welfare state as opposed to the punitive vision of
4387-647: The European Parliament , the Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris and Deputy President of the French Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Party; Frits Bolkestein , Former European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services ; Peter Norman , Swedish Minister for Financial Markets; and Klaus-Peter Willsch , a German CDU Politician and member of the Bundestag . Dr Imke Henkel of German weekly Focus labelled
Policy Exchange - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-413: The European Union last Friday marked the beginning of an important new chapter for Britain. It also marked the end of the story for Open Europe, which will be closing." A more extensive history of the think tank was also published by the longtime head of its Brussels office, Pieter Cleppe. Open Europe was a private company limited by guarantee without share capital. Its final chairman was Simon Wolfson ,
4601-655: The Exchequer George Osborne delivering his first set-speech on Europe while in Government, and marking the first major speech on Europe by a senior UK Conservative Minister since the UK Prime Minister David Cameron 's 'Bloomberg' speech in January 2013. Additional speakers included Maria Damanaki the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs ; Rachida Dati , a Member of
4708-469: The Ministry of Defence, risked undermining the effectiveness of the armed forces and therefore the security of the nation. The co-authors were former US army lawyer Laura Croft and former British Army officer Tom Tugendhat . The report recommended that the government should legislate to define Combat Immunity to allow military personnel to take decisions without having to worry about risk of prosecution, that
4815-566: The MoD should be exempt from the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 , for the UK to derogate from the European Convention on Human Rights during deployed operations and for legal aid to be removed from foreign nationals. In March 2015, an update was published called Clearing the Fog of Law by Tugendhat, Richard Ekins and Jonathan Morgan . This further developed the argument that
4922-520: The Open Europe report implies." Writing in The Daily Telegraph in 2014, journalist Louise Armitstead argued that Open Europe had "developed a reputation for coming up with practical solutions" and showed there was "increasingly a solid and practical case for reform. Free trade and pro-markets politicians like Osborne can now criticise Brussels with a real chance of being listened to." In December 2012, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ran
5029-505: The UK December election, Policy Exchange published McDonnellomics: How Labour's economic agenda would transform the UK. The paper looked at John McDonnell's policy approach and political inspiration. It argued that ‘‘McDonnellomics' would represent the biggest shift in UK economic policy since the advent of Thatcherism .' Lord Mandelson wrote a foreword to the paper and argued: "Instead of moving Britain forward, with new ideas and utilising
5136-722: The UK and Europe, as well as former diplomats and high-profile figures from across the professions. Open Europe regularly published original research aimed at promoting new ideas among key EU policy makers, business people and academics. Open Europe's experts regularly appeared in the international media, providing analysis on Brexit and UK and EU politics. Open Europe holds regular seminars and discussions on Brexit and EU reform. Speakers at Open Europe events have included William Hague , Vincent Cable , Gisela Stuart , Dominic Raab , John Bruton , Norman Lamont , James Brokenshire , Elmar Brok , Nick Boles , and Malcolm Rifkind . In April 2018, Open Europe held an event with
5243-584: The UK. It was founded in 2002 by the Conservative MPs Francis Maude and Archie Norman, and Nick Boles, who later also became a Tory MP. It describes itself as "an independent, non-partisan educational charity whose mission is to develop and promote new policy ideas that will deliver better public services, a stronger society and a more dynamic economy." The Washington Post said Policy Exchange's reports "often inform government policy in Britain" and Iain Dale described it on ConservativeHome as
5350-478: The United Kingdom Conservatism in the United Kingdom is related to its counterparts in other Western nations, but has a distinct tradition and has encompassed a wide range of theories over the decades of conservatism . The Conservative Party , which forms the mainstream right-wing party in Britain, has developed many different internal factions and ideologies. Edmund Burke is often considered
5457-455: The United Kingdom, drawing on the strength of the Union to stimulate local areas through both an audacious programme of infrastructure investment and further devolution of powers.' It pushed for greater devolution and enhancement of community and government partnerships. The report was cited as an insight into how Johnson's government plan to strengthen the Union. In October 2019, in anticipation of
SECTION 50
#17328561171775564-480: The Whigs and Liberals. As early as 1835, Disraeli attacked the Whigs and utilitarians as slavishly devoted to an industrial oligarchy, while he described his fellow Tories as the only "really democratic party of England" and devoted to the interests of the whole people. Nevertheless, inside the party there was a tension between the growing numbers of wealthy businessmen on the one side, and the aristocracy and rural gentry on
5671-399: The aggressive tone of socialist rhetoric, and supported imperialism and traditional values. Conservatives claimed that they represented orderly politics, peace, and the interests of the ex-serviceman's family. The 1928 Act added five million more women to the electoral roll and had the effect of making women a majority, 52.7%, of the electorate in the 1929 general election , which was termed
5778-406: The built environment and the left, Lisa Nandy , MP for Wigan, argued that the building of "grim, grey, massive tower blocks" in the post-war period was proof that the planning authorities had not listened to the concerns of ordinary people. In 2017 Policy Exchange published The New Netwar: Countering Extremism Online , which provided an analysis of the struggle against online extremism. It included
5885-499: The centre-right (e.g., education, social policy, healthcare). Indeed, the ideas behind the ‘Big Society’ platform were first developed under PX’s aegis. However, the moment of their political ascendancy coincided with the 2008 crisis, after which they became strong supporters of the austerity agenda — if positioning themselves as ‘reasonable’ rather than ideological advocates. As a result, PX expanded its output dramatically on fiscal and financial policy, moving much of their thinking towards
5992-414: The chief executive of the clothing retailer Next plc . Open Europe received no funding from any government, the EU, NGO or public company. It was funded entirely by private donations and a partial list of its supporters was available on its website. The group was nominally independent and did not have a partisan affiliation. Its supporters included business people operating in every sector and across both
6099-651: The conference "potentially historic" by "leading towards a constructive British Europe policy, which provides the important impetus towards the necessary reforms of the European Community". Writing in the Sunday Telegraph , Iain Martin called it a "a hugely uplifting gathering", which "would simply not have taken place before the euro crisis almost brought about the collapse of the single currency ". The organisation has historically been seen as " eurosceptic ," but
6206-579: The consensus), unemployment averaged less than 3%. The post-war consensus included a belief in Keynesian economics , a mixed economy with the nationalisation of major industries, the establishment of the National Health Service and the creation of the modern welfare state in Britain. The policies were instituted by all governments, both Labour and Conservative, in the post-war period. The consensus has been held to characterise British politics until
6313-435: The continent was at first a source of inspiration, reassurance and hope. After Hitler's rise in 1933 it meant their downfall. War with Germany in 1939 ended British participation in transnational radical conservatism. During and after World War II, the Conservative Party made concessions to the social democratic policies enacted by the previous Labour government. This compromise was a pragmatic measure to regain power, but also
6420-531: The course of history but had not necessarily needed to reveal its meaning to historians. Thanks to Iain Macleod , Edward Heath and Enoch Powell , special attention was paid to " One-nation conservatism " (coined by Disraeli) that promised support for the poorer and working-class elements in the Party coalition. However, in the 1980s, under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher , and the influence of Keith Joseph , there
6527-409: The current situation was so serious that, 'if universities don't take action, the government will.' In December 2019, a report looking into civil service reform was published by Policy Exchange. The report argued for policy proposals that would make 'the civil service more democratically accountable and better able to deliver on the mandate of the government of the day.' The report was widely covered by
SECTION 60
#17328561171776634-400: The economic crises of the 1970s (see Secondary banking crisis of 1973–1975 ) which led to the end of the post-war economic boom and the rise of monetarist economics. The roots of Keynes's economics, however, lie in a critique of the economics of the depression of the interwar period. Keynesianism encouraged a more active role of the government in order to "manage overall demand so that there
6741-499: The economic right. In the process, PX came to be seen as one of the most politically central British think tanks, the crucible of centre-right thinking, and the ‘policy shop’ of the Cameron premiership." In 2020 it absorbed Open Europe , a Eurosceptic think tank working on the European Union . In November 2020, it awarded the inaugural Grotius Prize to Scott Morrison , Australian Prime Minister, "in recognition of his work in support of
6848-736: The expansion of "lawfare" hinders the ability of commanders on the ground to make immediate and potentially life-or-death decisions. Five former Chiefs of the General staff wrote to the Times on 8 April 2015 to support the recommendations, saying "We urge the government to recognise the primacy of the Geneva Conventions in war by derogating from the European Convention on Human Rights in time of war and redefining combat immunity through legislation to ensure that our serving personnel are able to operate in
6955-447: The expansive liberal constitutionalism that has come to be the prevailing legal orthodoxy of our day." Conversely, Thomas Poole has attacked the Judicial Power Project as "The Executive Power Project", claiming that the JPP's approach owes more to anarcho-conservatism than to constitutional conservatism. Liveable London is a policy programme which attempts to develop new ideas to make London
7062-621: The father of modern English conservatism in the English-speaking world . Burke was a member of a conservative faction of the Whig party; the modern Conservative Party however has been described by Lord Norton of Louth as "the heir, and in some measure the continuation, of the old Tory Party ", and the Conservatives are often still referred to as Tories . The Australian scholar Glen Worthington has said: "For Edmund Burke and Australians of
7169-520: The field without fear of the laws designed for peacetime environments." In 2016, the Labour MP Jo Cox started working with Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat on a pamphlet which would examine Britain's attitude to intervening in humanitarian situations overseas. They intended to publish the report to coincide with the publication of The Iraq Inquiry's report into the origins of the Iraq War . The report
7276-404: The frequency of Ofsted inspections, sharpening up accountability, removing vocational qualifications from league tables in favour of a focus on so-called academic GCSEs." In August 2019, Policy Exchange published a report looking at ways the new Conservative government could work to modersnise the United Kingdom. The report argued that the new government should pursue a 'Grand Strategy to modernise
7383-529: The ideas set out in 'Clean Brexit', including that she would be prepared to walk away from negotiations if the EU does not offer a good enough deal. In June 2015, Policy Exchange published 'Overlooked But Decisive: Connecting with England's Just about Managing classes'. The report examined the values and political attitudes of C1 and C2 voters by the NRS social grade classifications in marginal seats in England. The author of
7490-1028: The identities of their donors.' However, Policy Exchange does list some sponsors inside its reports, such as the European Climate Foundation and the Gates Foundation . In 2017 ExxonMobil , donated £30,000 to a US based Policy Exchange fundraising arm, and, in November 2022, the funding transparency website Who Funds You? gave Policy Exchange an E grade, the lowest transparency rating (rating goes from A to E). Policy Exchange authors have included former government advisor Professor Dieter Helm , economist Robert Shiller , author and broadcaster Bill Bryson , historian and journalist Anna Reid , former Financial Times journalist John Willman , and Olympic athlete James Cracknell . In June 2018, Policy Exchange published Building More, Building Beautiful , which argued that if developers build more homes in ways that
7597-446: The ideological position of British conservatism. From the 2010s to the present, the party has occupied a position on the right-wing of the political spectrum. In efforts to rebrand and increase the party's appeal, both leaders have adopted policies which align with liberal conservatism . This has included a "greener" environmental and energy stance, and adoption of some socially liberal views. Some of these policies were thrust upon
7704-674: The international rules based order". The head of its Britain in the World project was previously Professor John Bew , who left in 2019 to join the Number 10 Policy Unit . In February 2020, Open Europe 's team joined Policy Exchange to lead the work of the Britain in the World project, where the research is focused on international trade and the opportunities for "Global Britain" after Brexit. The former Australian PM Kevin Rudd , responding to Stephen Kinnock at
7811-471: The late 19th and early 20th centuries failed to make much headway as "tariff reform" resulted in new tariffs. The coalition of traditional landowners and sympathetic industrialists constituted the new Conservative Party . Conservatism evolved after 1820, embracing imperialism and realisation that an expanded working-class electorate could neutralise the Liberal advantage among the middle classes. Disraeli defined
7918-471: The law and the continental constitutional separation of powers, and away from democracy and parliamentary sovereignty, have been very powerful tendencies within the left over the past fifty years." The former Lord Chief Justice , Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd , argued in the foreword to a July 2020 Judicial Power Project paper on reforming the Supreme Court, "There are some who wish this debate to 'go away'. That
8025-554: The left in 1909 by ridiculing the Conservatives as, "the party of the rich against the poor, of the classes ... against the masses, of the lucky, the wealthy, the happy, and the strong against the left-out and the shut-out millions of the weak and poor." His harsh words were hurled back at him when he rejoined the Conservative Party in 1924. The shock of a landslide defeat in 1906 forced the Conservatives to rethink their operations, and they worked to build grassroots organisations that would help them win votes. Responding to their defeat,
8132-466: The media as it was highlighted that Dominic Cummings was 'used as a source by the think tank Policy Exchange for its new briefing paper "Whitehall Reimagined", which recommended that the Prime Minister's office and special advisers should lead fundamental reforms to "unlock the potential" of the civil service.' In October 2020, Policy Exchange established a Commission of "heavy-hitters" to examine how
8239-771: The middle and upper classes as well, broadening their voter base. Women played a new role in the early twentieth century, as was signalled in 1906 with the establishment of the Women's Unionist and Tariff Reform Association (WUTRA). When the Liberals failed to support women's suffrage, the Conservatives acted, especially by passing the Representation of the People Act 1918 and the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 . They realised that housewives were often conservative in outlook, were averse to
8346-445: The middle class. The conversion of the Conservative Party into a modern mass organisation was accelerated by the concept of Tory Democracy attributed to Lord Randolph Churchill , father of Winston Churchill . Winston Churchill , although best known as the most prominent conservative since Disraeli, crossed the aisle in 1904 and became a Liberal for two decades. As one of the most active and aggressive orators of his day, he thrilled
8453-527: The opportunities that digital technology and AI, for example, offer us to transform the economy and public services, a Corbyn-McDonnell government wants to reassert the statist mindset that New Labour disavowed." In November 2019, Policy Exchange published a paper arguing that universities should be places of free speech and should avoid a 'culture of conformity'. Polling that informed the paper revealed that 'a solid core of 30% of students are consistently in favour of free speech' however noted that 'cancel culture'
8560-424: The other. The aristocracy gained strength as businessmen discovered that they could use their wealth to buy a peerage and a country estate. Disraeli set up a Conservative Central Office , established in 1870, and the newly formed National Union (which drew together local voluntary associations), gave the party "additional unity and strength", and Disraeli's views on social reform and the wealth disparity between
8667-820: The party in the 2010–2015 coalition with the Liberal Democrats , such as acceptance of same-sex marriage , which the Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone initially put forward. Many of these policies have been accompanied by a fiscal conservatism , in which they have maintained a hard stance on bringing down the deficit, and embarked upon a programme of economic austerity. Other modern policies which align with one-nation conservatism and Christian democracy include education reform, extending student loan applicants to postgraduate applicants, and allowing those from poorer backgrounds to go further, whilst still increasing tuition fees and introducing
8774-493: The phenomenon of an alienated industrial proletariat. His solution involved a return to an idealised view of a corporate or organic society, in which everyone had duties and responsibilities towards other people or groups. This "one nation" conservatism is still a significant tradition in British politics, in both the Conservative Party and Labour , especially with the rise of the Scottish National Party during
8881-528: The poorest members states. Some agriculture related R&D funding would continue. The Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch wrote in December 2017 that "Open Europe has a long tradition of producing high quality research and analysis," and described its research on public attitudes to immigration as "excellent." Elsewhere, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont has praised Open Europe's vision of
8988-436: The power of judges has increased in the UK, and what effect such a rise in judicial power is having on the principle of the separation of powers. The research unit focuses on the proper scope of judicial power within the Westminster constitution, arguing that judicial overreach increasingly threatens the rule of law and effective, democratic government. Policy Exchange's Judicial Power Project has also been involved in scrutinising
9095-461: The public find beautiful, there will be less opposition to new housebuilding. The paper argued that this would make development less risky, with increased benefits to people's physical and mental health. The report included a poll of more than 5,000 people, which detailed their preferences for the design and style of the built environment. Its foreword was written by James Brokenshire , Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and
9202-699: The region on upholding democratic values and supporting the multinational institutions that have developed in recent years. On the security front, the British military, and the Royal Navy in particular, will be a welcome presence in the seas of the Indo-Pacific." The Integration Hub, in partnership with Policy Exchange, explores ethnic integration across five distinct themes – Residential Patterns, Work and Welfare, Society and Everyday Life, Education, and Attitudes and Identity. It allows people to explore integration across England and Wales through interactive data maps. Policy Exchange's Judicial Power Project researches whether
9309-579: The report was by commended by Theresa May in a speech to Policy Exchange. The Government subsequently announced the establishment of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission , an independent body to advise ministers on how to promote and increase the use of high-quality design for new build homes and neighbourhoods. An article in The Economist hailed the policy as the "brainchild of Policy Exchange" and "the biggest idea in housing policy since
9416-411: The report were labelled a number of recommendations: the appointment of a minister to control all the insurance schemes; a standard weekly payment by people in work as a contribution to the insurance fund; old age pensions, maternity grants, funeral grants, pensions for widows and for people injured at work; a new national health service to be established. In the period between 1945 and 1970 (the years of
9523-511: The report, James Frayne, argued that these families rely heavily on public services like state schools and the NHS, and rely on a stable economy, low inflation and low interest rates to keep their jobs and ensure their mortgage payments are affordable. Schools Week wrote in February 2017 that "Policy Exchange's power can be seen in the impressive number of policies foreshadowed in their reports: reducing
9630-416: The result of the early successes of central planning and state ownership forming a cross-party consensus. The conservative version was known as Butskellism , after the almost identical Keynesian policies of Rab Butler on behalf of the Conservatives and Hugh Gaitskell for Labour. The "post-war consensus" emerged as an all-party national government under Churchill, who promised Britons a better life after
9737-413: The richest and poorest in society allegedly "helped the party to break down class barriers", according to the Conservative peer Lord Norton. As a young man, Disraeli was influenced by the romantic movement and medievalism , and developed a critique of industrialism. In his novels, he outlined an England divided into two nations, each living in perfect ignorance of each other. He foresaw, like Karl Marx ,
9844-483: The sale of council houses under Margaret Thatcher." To feed ideas into the Commission, in January 2019 Policy Exchange also published Building Beautiful , a cross-party essay collection with contributions from politics, architecture and the housebuilding industry, including by the Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP , Dame Fiona Reynolds , and Jon Cruddas MP . In a Policy Exchange event on beauty in
9951-460: The same people are left disappointed when Open Europe produces figures and arguments advocating against Greece being forced out of the euro, or when it defends the freedom of movement for European workers which is controversial to many in Britain." In 2012 The Guardian 's live blog described Open Europe as "indispensable", while in the same year Polish daily Rzeczpospolita described Open Europe as "an influential liberal think-tank". In
10058-473: The simple factual, logical and legal errors that enabled some 'economists for free trade' to produce projections that no serious trade economist regards as credible at a Commons event." However, they argued that Open Europe had failed to pay sufficient attention to the short-term consequences of No Deal: "Should Britain leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement, then the immediate economics – and politics – of this would be far, far more disruptive and damaging than
10165-539: The total cost. In 2008, research by Open Europe claimed that 96 percent of the text of the Lisbon Treaty is the same as the rejected European Constitution, based on a side-by-side comparison of the two texts. On 15–16 January 2014, Open Europe and the Fresh Start Project organised a "Pan-European Conference for EU reform" for delegates from the UK and Europe. The Conference was opened by the UK's Chancellor of
10272-591: The war. Conservatives especially promoted educational reforms to reach a much larger population. The foundations of the post-war consensus was the Beveridge Report . This was a report by William Beveridge , a Liberal economist who in 1942 formulated the concept of a more comprehensive welfare state in Great Britain. The report sought widespread reform by identifying the "five giants on the road of reconstruction": "Want… Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness". In
10379-649: The wider international community failing to intervene in time to prevent mass atrocities, such as the Rwandan genocide , massacres in Bosnia and most recently the death of hundreds of thousands of people in the Syrian Civil War . A supportive message from Prime Minister Theresa May was printed on the back cover. The report was launched by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown with Tom Tugendhat and Alison McGovern on 26 January 2017. In January 2017, Policy Exchange published
10486-779: Was "to contribute positive new thinking to the debate about the future direction of the European Union". Rodney Leach and many of the founding supporters of Open Europe had previously backed the Business for Sterling campaign to stay out of the Euro. Directors of Open Europe have included Neil O'Brien (2005–2008), Lorraine Mullally (2008–2010), Mats Persson (2010–2015), Stephen Booth and Raoul Ruparel as Co-Directors (2015–2017), and Henry Newman (2017–2019). Several former Open Europe Directors have gone on to work in government, including Persson (former Europe advisor to David Cameron) and Ruparel (former Europe advisor to Theresa May). The think tank opposed
10593-411: Was a balance between demand and output". The post-war consensus in favour of the welfare state forced conservative historians, typified by Herbert Butterfield , to re-examine British history. They were no longer optimistic about human nature, nor the possibility of progress, yet neither were they open to liberalism's emphasis on individualism. As a Christian, Butterfield could argue that God had decided
10700-429: Was a dramatic shift in the ideological direction of British conservatism, with a movement towards free-market economic policies and neoliberalism (commonly referred to as Thatcherism ). As one commentator explains, "The privatisation of state owned industries, unthinkable before, became commonplace [during Thatcher's government] and has now been imitated all over the world." Thatcher was described as "a radical in
10807-415: Was also described as "eurosceptic". The think-tank was set up in 2005 prior to the Lisbon Treaty by a group of British business to oppose further centralisation of power in the EU. It was a proponent of a flexible model for further European integration, allowing for EU member states to integrate with each other to different degrees and for powers to also be returned from the EU to member states. It adopted
10914-620: Was becoming prevalent on UK campuses. Gavin Williamson endorsed the paper in an article in The Times in which he wrote, 'Despite the "snowflake" stereotype, recent polling by the Policy Exchange think tank shows a large number of students want an environment in which they're free to hear a diversity of views. Yet one only needs to look at the worsening situation on US campuses to see the importance of taking action here.' He went on to argue that
11021-477: Was described by The Economist in 2010 as "the Eurosceptic group that controls British coverage of the EU". It was ranked number 1. in the "International Affairs" Category in 2012 by Prospect magazine . Open Europe was launched on 20 October 2005 by Rodney Leach in London by business people to oppose the return of the then EU Constitutional Treaty that became the Lisbon Treaty , Open Europe's stated aim
11128-524: Was endorsed by a range of figures including Rt Hon Michael Gove MP (then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster), Sir Howard Bernstein (former Chief Executive of Manchester City Council), and Dame Sue Owen (former Permanent Secretary at DCMS). In June 2021, the Government set out a Declaration on Government Reform, which echoed the recommendations made in Government Reimagined . Conservatism in
11235-605: Was previously in favour of the UK remaining a member of a reformed EU. However, it was neutral in the UK EU referendum campaign in 2016 . In June 2018, Open Europe published a report entitled Striking a Balance: A blueprint for the future UK-EU economic partnership . The report argues that the UK should seek to remain closely aligned with the EU in goods regulations and trade after Brexit, but that it should be able to diverge in financial services regulations. The authors argue: "Giving up some control – or sovereignty – over goods regulation,
11342-561: Was put on hold when Jo Cox was murdered in June 2016. However, her family agreed that the report should be completed and her friend Labour MP Alison McGovern helped Tugendhat to finish it. The report examines the history of British intervention overseas and argues that successful examples such as Sierra Leone , Kosovo and the Gulf War demonstrate the value potential for intervention to succeed. The authors contrasted this with examples of Britain and
11449-585: Was the UK equivalent of the Manhattan Institute 's " Broken Windows " moment, for it drastically changed the terms of the debate, and led to decisive action to deal with the problem." In July 2018, the Judicial Power Project published Judicial Power and the Left, a series of essays examining the issue of judicial activism from the left of politics. In the Foreword, Labour MP Jon Cruddas argued, "The retreat towards
#176823