The Young Britons' Foundation, abbreviated to YBF, was a British
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
not-for-profit
A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives.
While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
training, education and research
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 ...
, established in July 2003.
It promoted young conservatives and "
classical liberals".
The chief executive officer of the organization, Donal Blaney, has described YBF as "a Conservative
madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...
".
[ YBF has strong links with the American ]neoconservative
Neoconservatism (colloquially neocon) is a political movement which began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist Democratic Party along with the growing New Left and ...
movements,[ and partnerships with American conservative think-tanks and foundations.][
YBF was launched in July 2003 at a conference of the ]Young America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation (YAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservative youth organization founded in 1969. In 2018, the ''Los Angeles Times'' called YAF "one of the most preeminent, influential and controversial forces in the nation's conserva ...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
YBF wanted to expose what it perceived to be left-wing bias in British universities. YBF was originally based in Regent Street
Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George IV of the United Kingdom, George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash (architect), J ...
, London, leading some Conservatives to question its funding. YBF's funding came from private donations.[
On 21 December 2015 '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' reported that Donal Blaney had resigned as chief executive, following on from the allegations of bullying towards former YBF director of outreach Mark Clarke.[ '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' also reported that YBF was likely to close,[ and as of November 2016 the YBF website was not operating.
]
Staff
YBF's chief executive was Donal Blaney, a former national chairman of Conservative Future
Conservative Future (CF) was the youth movement of the Conservative Party in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The organisation was made up of all members of the Conservative Party who were 30 years old or younger.
Conservative Future was f ...
, and its chairman is Patrick Nicholls, former Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
MP for Teignbridge
Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous vi ...
and government minister. The president of YBF was Daniel Hannan
Daniel John Hannan, Baron Hannan of Kingsclere (born 1 September 1971) is a British writer, journalist and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 1999 to 2 ...
, then Conservative Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
for South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England that are in the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, top level category for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of england, ...
.[ The author and long-standing Eurosceptic ]Frederick Forsyth
Frederick McCarthy Forsyth ( ; 25 August 1938 – 9 June 2025) was an English novelist and journalist. He was best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', ''The Fourth Protocol'', ''The Dogs of War (novel), ...
was also a patron of YBF.
As of September 2010, YBF's "advisory board" included Matthew Elliott, founder of the UK TaxPayers' Alliance
The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) is a pressure group in the United Kingdom which was formed in 2004 to campaign for a low-tax society. The group had about 18,000 registered supporters as of 2008 and claimed to have 55,000 by September 2010. Howeve ...
, and representatives of The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...
, a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
–based conservative think tank, the Competitive Enterprise Institute
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a non-profit libertarian think tank founded by the political writer Fred L. Smith Jr. on March 9, 1984, in Washington, D.C., to advance principles of limited government, free enterprise, and individ ...
and American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for Conservatism in the United States, conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Poli ...
, a U.S. conservative lobbying organisation. It also includes the founder of the Leadership Institute
The Leadership Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, that teaches "political technology." The institute was founded in 1979 by conservative activist Morton Blackwell. Its mission is to "increase the n ...
, the president of the Jesse Helms Center, the president of the Young America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation (YAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservative youth organization founded in 1969. In 2018, the ''Los Angeles Times'' called YAF "one of the most preeminent, influential and controversial forces in the nation's conserva ...
, the co-founder of the Henry Jackson Society
The Henry Jackson Society (HJS) is a trans-Atlantic foreign policy and national security think tank, based in the United Kingdom. While describing itself as non-partisan, its outlook has been described variously as right-wing, neoliberal, an ...
and a former executive director of the Collegiate Network
The Collegiate Network (CN) is a program that provides financial and technical assistance to student editors and writers of roughly 100 independent, conservative and libertarian publications at colleges and universities around the United States. ...
. British representatives include Professor Patrick Minford
Anthony Patrick Leslie Minford (born 17 May 1943) is a British macroeconomist who is professor of applied economics at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, a position he has held since 1997. He was Edward Gonner Professor of Applied Ec ...
, blogger Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
, who resigned in the same year, and two local councillors. Liam Fox
Sir Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative ...
, the shadow defence secretary, was a member of the YBF's parliamentary council.[ ]Conor Burns
Sir Conor Burns (born 24 September 1972) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bournemouth West from 2010 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister of State for Trade Policy from 2 ...
was until shortly before becoming an MP in 2010 the vice-president of YBF.[
Donal Blaney stated that the Young Britons' Foundation was largely funded by himself, at a cost of about £50,000 per year.][
]
Training
In 2010, ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' reported that there was "an informal understanding that YBF is the main provider of training for young Conservative activists."[ in 2010, Conservative Party Chairman ]Eric Pickles
Eric Jack Pickles, Baron Pickles, (born 20 April 1952) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 United ...
, Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Rosindell
Andrew Richard Rosindell MP (; born 17 March 1966) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Romford since 2001.
He has been the international director of the European Foundation, chair ...
and Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox
Sir Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative ...
spoke at the annual YBF Parliamentary Rally at the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
. In 2010, it was reported that YBF claimed to have trained 2,500 Conservative party activists.[ At least 11 Conservative parliamentary candidates in the 2010 general election have been delegates or speakers at YBF courses.][
Training costs were subsidised and cost about £45 for students, including accommodation and meals. Training and conferences were carried out under ]Chatham House Rule
Under the Chatham House Rule, anyone who comes to a meeting is free to use information from the discussion, but is not allowed to reveal who made any particular comment. It is designed to increase openness of discussion. The rule is a system for ...
.
Campaigning
In the last days of the 2010 United Kingdom general election
The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, to elect 650 Members of Parliament (or MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The first to be held after the minimum age for candidates was ...
over 500,000 leaflets were delivered by YBF to over 20 LibDem/Conservative marginals across the country warning of the dangers of a hung parliament
A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system (typically employing Majoritarian representation, majoritarian electoral systems) to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing ...
.
During the 2008 presidential election, YBF sent a delegation of activists to campaign in the United States for John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
. In 2010, YBF's executive director addressed the US Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC ) is an annual political conference attended by Conservatism in the United States, conservative Activism, activists and officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American ...
"warning of the dangers of socialism".
In the 2013 elections to the Common Council of the City of London
The Court of Common Council is the primary decision-making body of the City of London Corporation. It meets nine times per year. Most of its work is carried out by committees. City of London Corporation elections , Elections are held at least eve ...
the YBF ran around 20 candidates challenging the City establishment.
The 2015 YBF conference was cancelled after allegations of bullying towards former YBF director of outreach Mark Clarke. Six Cabinet ministers due to speak at the conference had previously withdrawn, citing diary clashes.
References
External links
The Young Britons' Foundation website
(as archived 22 February 2015)
{{Conservative Party (UK)
Conservative Future
Organizations established in 2003
Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom
2003 establishments in the United Kingdom