James joined the Centre for Policy Studies in March 2018, rising to Head of Welfare and Opportunity before leaving in September 2022. He previously worked as a Senior Parliamentary Adviser on Treasury and Work and Pensions issues for the Conservative parliamentary party.
His work on tax and welfare was concerned with improving work incentives for the lowest paid, lifting the poorest out of tax, and tackling in-work poverty. He led the CPS’s research work on reform of the social care system, working with Rt Hon Damian Green MP on a major report on the subject.
James contributed to a number of major policy reports including Make Work Pay and From Rent to Own. He led the CPS team working with former Chancellor Sajid Javid on After the Virus, a report which set out proposals for renewing economic growth after the coronavirus pandemic.
James is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford and a former president of Oxford University Conservatives. He tweets @JamesHeywood.
