It’s safe to say that the Tory think tank Bright Blue hasn’t always enjoyed the greatest respect among the Conservative party-at-large. Although it has a dedicated following from Liberal Conservatives, its focus on green issues has seen more traditional Tories snipe that it bears a closer resemblance to Lib Dem yellow than a Tory blue.
So, with a plethora of new think tanks emerging in recent months to plug the apparent policy hole in Tory rejuvenation, is its time running out? Mr S suspects not. For all the publicity Onward, Freer and the CPS have so far received, it seems that its the soft blue think tank that is currently making the biggest waves in influencing the government.
This month, not one, but two, of the Bright Blue staff are joining government. Bright Blue policy wonk Sam Hall has been hired as Michael Gove’s policy adviser in Defra. Meanwhile, Laura Round – Bright Blue’s head of comms – is Penny Mourdant’s new SpAd in DfiD.
The future is bright, the future is blue…
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