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Revealed: Charity watchdog probes pro-Brexit anti-NHS think tank

The Institute of Economic Affairs has been a fixture of political and media debates on Brexit and more. Now, the Charity Commission is examining whether the IEA breached rules on political independence

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The Institute for Economic Affairs. Image, Youtube, fair use.

The Charity Commission is examining whether the Institute of Economic Affairs has breached charity regulations on political independence, openDemocracy can reveal. The watchdog is looking at the free market think tank after concerns were brought to the commission’s attention.

The IEA is one of the UK’s most influential think tanks. IEA representatives regularly appear on the media, advocating everything from privatising the NHS to a hard Brexit, and it has strong links with a number of Conservative ministers, including new Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and health minister Matt Hancock.