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.

During this inaugural, year-long programme, the Centre for Policy Studies will invite our first cohort of Thatcher Fellows to 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 2024 to July 2025, 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
• A chance to attend the 2024 Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham and be introduced to the world of politics and policy
• A CPS Thatcher Fellowship Away Day in the summer of 2025
• 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.

Criteria:

We’re looking for up to sixteen individuals of exceptional ability who aspire to become champions for free markets in the private and public sectors. Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to learning, an aptitude for achievement, and a belief in free market solutions.

• Applicants should be early to mid career professionals from outside politics 
  • We envisage this to mean a minimum of three years’ full-time work in an area such as finance, business or law, and could be in a large private sector organisation, a innovative start-up, or anything in between 
• Strong interest in business, politics and economics and how we can connect Westminster and the private sector

Please note that while we may be able to cover reasonable travel expenses for Fellows to attend in-person elements of the programme, the Fellowship is not suitable for those based outside the UK.

How to apply:

Applications for the Thatcher Fellowship 2024/25 will open on Monday 1st April and close on Monday 1 July 2024. Applications will be sifted and, depending on the volume of applications, a shortlist of applicants may be invited to a short interview with the CPS team.

Successful candidates will be informed by 31 July.

To apply, please email [email protected], including your CV and a two-page personal statement explaining what you hope to get from the fellowship.

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].