Popular economist Liam Halligan will take over the Thatcherite Centre for Policy Studies as new Director. Lord Spencer, Chairman of the CPS, said:
“At a time when government is spending and taxing on a historic scale, and economic growth is consequently evaporating, the mission of the Centre for Policy Studies is more important than ever. I am delighted that Liam Halligan has agreed to take this mission forward, as someone who has been evangelising for our values throughout his long and distinguished career. Replacing Robert was never going to be easy but Liam is a worthy successor.”
Liam Halligan said:
“If ever there was a time in my adult life when there was an urgent need to develop and promote free-market ideas, that time is now. The CPS – Britain’s leading centre-right think tank – is the best place from which to do that and I’m delighted to be joining at this crucial moment.”
Guido members will have known that Halligan was the frontrunner for some months. Tomorrow’s news, today…
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Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”