ComRes have today revealed their rank bank of think tanks, assessing where the esteemed establishments rank among MPs of different parties. Their bi-annual survey of MPs has found that the Centre for Policy Studies and the Institute of Economic Affairs come out on top among Tory MPs, with 65% and 59% of Tory MPs respectively endorsing them for their ‘high quality output’. Free market ideas still rule the roost, despite the leanings of the current party leadership…
Additionally, 39% of Conservative MPs say the CPS is one of the most influential think tanks, with the IEA nearest on 35%. The Centre for Social Justice, Institute for Fiscal Studies and The Taxpayers’ Alliance follow closely behind to round out the top five. The CPS are by far the biggest climbers with a sizable 13% jump, testament to their recent star hires…
Labour MPs liked the IPPR best, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and IFS falling in behind. On an overall cross-party basis, the top five most influential wonks were the IFS (37%), followed by the JRF (30%), Chatham House (28%), the IEA (28%), and the CPS (24%).
Oddly, the Adam Smith Institute wasn’t included in the list for MPs to choose from, despite some big policy wins this year. Guido hears the CPS has sportingly called on ComRes to include the ASI next time round…
Read the report in full below:
Chatham House haven’t exactly dispelled the notion that the Remain campaign is lofty and metropolitan this morning. The establishment think tank’s new briefing on “What drives Euroscepticism” dismisses pro-Brexit voters as old, uneducated and poor:
“Our analysis of around 30,000 Britons reveals that, broadly, those who would vote to leave the EU tend to have left school before their 17th birthday, to have few or no advanced academic qualifications, to be over 55 years old, and to work in less secure, lower-income jobs. In contrast, those who want Britain to remain a member of the EU tend to be younger, to be more highly educated, and to have more financially secure and professional jobs.”
Missing from Chatham House’s “analysis” is Labour donor John Mills, who backs Brexit despite being an Oxford-educated multi-millionaire.
Then there is key Eurosceptic donor Stuart Wheeler, who studied law at Oxford and practised as a barrister before making some £90 million in business.
What about Vote Leave treasurer Peter Cruddas? He did leave school with no qualifications, so Chatham House have a point there. He is also worth £1.025 billion, so maybe not.
Probably not one for BSE to press release…
