The Smith Institute is a left-wing
think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It was founded in memory of
John Smith QC MP, former leader of the
Labour Party.
History
Its work has focused on regional "rebalancing" away from London towards
the North, health, housing, community cohesion, employment and pay, and early intervention. It was founded in 1996 in memory of John Smith MP who was leader of the Labour Party until his death in 1994. The Smith Institute describes its purpose as pursuing "policies for a fairer society" and states that it aims to build on John Smith's passion for social justice.
The Institute's director is Paul Hackett, a former special adviser to John Prescott MP. It has had articles in the ''Observer'' on the regional divide.
Its work with the Centre for Social Justice on early intervention has been widely covered.
While the Labour Party was in government, a number of the think tank's meetings were held at
Number 11 Downing Street
11 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 11, is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (who traditionally also has the title of Second Lord of the Treasury). The residence, in Downi ...
, and the organisation allegedly had close ties with
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
.
Following a complaint from the right-wing media in 2001, the Smith Institute was the subject of an inquiry by the
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's Government that regulates registered charities in England and Wales and maintains the Central Register of Charities. Its counterparts in Scotland and ...
, which closed in 2002.
Ed Balls
Edward Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a British former politician, broadcaster and economist. He served as Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from 2007 to 2010, and as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2011 to ...
MP was given a Senior Research Fellowship at the Institute after he left
HM Treasury
His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, Tax ...
to stand as a Parliamentary candidate in 2004.
Funding
In November 2022, the funding transparency website
Who Funds You?
Who Funds You? is a project that rates and promotes the transparency of funding sources for think tanks. The project scored think tanks according to four criteria, namely whether the organisation discloses its income, whether it publishes financi ...
gave the institute a D grade (rating goes from A to E).
See also
*
List of think tanks in the United Kingdom
This is a list of think tanks in the United Kingdom.
A–I
* Adam Smith Institute
* Africa Research Institute
* Bow Group
* Boyd Group
* Brand EU
* Bright Blue
* British American Security Information Council
* British Future
* Bruges Gro ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom
John Smith (Labour Party leader)