The Thatcher Fellowship is designed to introduce the sharpest young minds from business and the City to the intellectual, academic and political arguments for free markets, and give them an understanding of how Westminster really works.

After an incredibly successful first year, the Centre for Policy Studies shortly open applications for the 2025/26 cohort of Thatcher Fellows.

The programme is aimed at mid-career professionals, those with at least three years full-time experience in the workplace.

Successful applicants will join us for monthly events, dinners and gatherings to meet the UK’s leading thinkers, politicians and academics, and learn how the political world actually functions. Each Fellow will benefit from an intellectually stimulating programme, running from September to July, designed for those with a background in business and finance and a belief that free markets can improve the world we live in.

The Programme includes:

• A monthly dinner hosted by the CPS with renowned speakers
• Suggested reading to provoke debate and discussion, compiled by CPS Research Director Karl Williams
• Tailored social events where you can mean the wider CPS team, our Board, and previous cohort of Fellows
• A chance to attend the Conservative Party Conference and be introduced to the world of politics and policy
• A CPS Thatcher Fellowship Away Day in the summer
• The opportunity to benefit from training sessions on topics such as media engagement and political copywriting
• The opportunity to write opinion pieces for CapX
• Involvement in a Fellowship WhatsApp Group alongside CPS leaders

After the programme finishes, our graduates will be invited to join the Thatcher Fellowship Alumni programme which will regularly converge for networking drinks, speeches, and policy events alongside the next year’s intake.

Applications for the 2025/26 programme are now open. 

How to apply:

Send your CV, a 2-page cover letter outlining your suitability for the programme and what you would hope to gain from it to [email protected].

We are able to cover some travel expenses for Fellows based outside London to enable attendance at the dinners. This is considered on a case by case basis.

Closing Date:

Applications close on June 1 at 5pm. Due to the volume of applications, we may not be able to reply to all emails.

Support our fellows:

If you would like to find out more about how to sponsor our Fellows, either by financially supporting the programme or by sharing your expertise, please get in touch with Elliott Mears, CPS Managing Director, on [email protected].