New Chairman of Policy Exchange is Daniel Finkelstein

By Tim Montgomerie
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Daniel Finkelstein of The Times and close ally of George Osborne will be replacing Charles Moore as Chairman of the Policy Exchange think tank. Charles Moore is stepping down to focus on his Telegraph columns and his biography of Margaret Thatcher. The official announcement will be made tomorrow.

Thursday 11am update:

The announcement has now formally been made.

Here's what PX Director Neil O'Brien, along with both Moore and Finkelstein have said in statements just released:

Neil O’Brien: “We are delighted that a person of Daniel Finkelstein’s intellectual capacity, detailed policy knowledge and wide ranging political and media contacts, is joining Policy Exchange. It is an exciting time to be at Policy Exchange. Over the next four years all political parties will be looking for new, workable policy ideas across a range of issues. Charles Moore is one of the reasons why Policy Exchange is now the most influential think tank in the country. Everyone who has ever worked at Policy Exchange has benefited from his expert counsel. I would like to thank Charles and wish him all the best for the future.”

Charles Moore: “It has been a great honour and a pleasure to have helped steer Policy Exchange to its current pre-eminence under Neil O’Brien. I am proud that it has become Britain’s leading think tank. Daniel Finkelstein is the ideal person to take Policy Exchange forward to new heights.”

Daniel Finkelstein: “I am really excited to be taking over as Chairman of Policy Exchange. Anyone who has been reading its output or attending its events knows that this is a think tank at the top of its game. It has a superb director, an excellent staff, and the intellectual quality of its output is really high. All of this is a tribute to the extraordinary job Charles Moore has done, and I am inspired by his example. Once Britain’s immediate fiscal problems are solved, the challenge will be to find ways to create a stronger society and better public services - without simply running up another large deficit.  Policy Exchange is ideally placed to answer these questions.”