Politics class: Double-down or pivot to Labour: the choice facing Tory think-tanks

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Specification:

• AQA Component 1, Section 3.1.2.4: Pressure groups: other influences on government and Parliament: think tanks, lobbyists, corporations, media

• Edexcel Component 1, Section 1.3: Pressure groups and other influences: other collective organisations including think tanks, lobbyists and corporations, and their influence on government and Parliament

Background: what you need to know

Both examination boards require you to understand the role of some special types of pressure group in UK politics. One of these is think tanks — groups of experts which research different policy areas and offer advice to governments and political parties.

The article examines the problems facing Conservative-leaning think tanks following the party’s defeat at the general election — how do they find a role in a political environment less favourable to their ideological position? The electoral upset has in some cases reduced their opportunities to find corporate funding.

They have responded in different ways. The centre-right Bright Blue and Policy Exchange think tanks, for example, are seeking to influence the Labour government’s policies. Others, such as the Thatcherite Centre for Policy Studies, aim to bolster the Conservative fightback in opposition by supplying the new leader’s team with policy ideas.

Click the link below to read the article and then answer the questions:

Double-down or pivot to Labour: the choice facing Tory think-tanks

Question in the style of AQA Politics Paper 1

• Explain three ways in which pressure groups such as think tanks, lobbyists or corporations seek to influence government policy in the UK. [9 marks]

Question in the style of Edexcel Politics Paper 1

• Evaluate the view that pressure groups, such as think tanks, lobbyists and corporations, exercise undue political influence within the UK democratic system. You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way. [30 marks]

  TIP: Questions on this area are unlikely to focus solely on think tanks — so make sure that you can discuss other types of pressure group. David Cameron’s contacts with former government colleagues on behalf of Greensill Capital during the Covid-19 pandemic provide an example of lobbying.

Graham Goodlad, Portsmouth High School