Advisory Council

Our Advisory Council members are from different political and professional backgrounds. They do not necessarily share our philosophy or all of our policy ideas.

Lord Ben Houchen

Mayor of Tees Valley

The Rt Hon Michael Gove

Editor of the Spectator and serial Secretary of State

Dame Margaret Hodge

Former Chair of the Public Accounts Committee

Andrew Bowie MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland

The Rt Hon John Denham

Former Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills

Sir Vince Cable

Former Secretary of State for Business

The Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP

Former Minister of State for Development and Africa

John McTernan

Former Political Secretary to Tony Blair and Communications Director to Julia Gillard

Mike Clancy

General Secretary of the Prospect trade union

George Freeman MP

Former Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation

Lord Daniel Hannan

Adviser to the UK Board of Trade

Lord David Willetts

Chair, Regulatory Innovation Office and Former Minister for Universities and Science

Professor Marc Stears

Director of the UCL Policy Lab

David Simmonds MP

Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Lord Edward Vaizey

Former Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy

Sir David Lidington

Former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Lord Andrew Cooper

Co-Founder of Populus and former Director of Strategy for Downing Street

Dame Maria Miller

Former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The Rt Hon Sir Nick Gibb

Former Minister of State for Schools

Nimco Ali

CEO and Co-Founder of The Five Foundation

Matthew Goodwin

Author of Values, Voice and Virtue and National Populism

Matthew Parris

Columnist for the Times

Professor Tim Bale

Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London

The Rt Hon Charles Hendry

Former Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change

Sarah Sands

Former Editor of the London Evening Standard

Professor Anand Menon

Director of UK in a Changing Europe

Nick Jopling

Former Property Director for Grainger

Ian Birrell

Co-Founder of Africa Express and former speechwriter to David Cameron

The Rt Hon Matt Hancock

Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Lawrence Tomlinson

Chair of the LNT Group and Ginetta Cars

John Godfrey

Managing Director for Public Affairs, Policy and Research, TheCityUK and Former Head of the Number 10 Policy Unit

The Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland

Former Secretary of State for Justice

The Rt Hon Damian Green

Former First Secretary of State

The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt

Former Leader of the House of Commons