Dominic Raab, addressing the Institute for Economic Affairs' birthday party. Image, Youtube, fair use.
As Dominic Raab steps into government, he brings with him a whole intellectual infrastructure. Where David Davis was essentially a lone wolf, and Boris Johnson looked like a blundering opportunist, the new Brexit secretary has always hunted with a pack: specifically, with a controversial right-wing think tank called the Institute of Economic Affairs, and what is effectively its parliamentary wing, the Free Enterprise Group.
The IEA is one of the UK’s most influential think tanks. Its representatives regularly appear on the media, advocating everything from privatising healthcare to opposing minimum pricing on alcohol.
