Alistair Burt, the Foreign Office Minister, has been engaging with political Islamists during his recent tour of the Middle East. Sir John Jenkins — former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and co-author of the Government’s Muslim Brotherhood Review of 2015 — looks at the lamentable historical record of such attempts at outreach, what to expect from them and how they could be improved.

Policy Exchange Chief Economist – and former Special Adviser to the Northern Ireland First Minister – Graham Gudgin responds to Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s proposals for the Irish Border to be moved to the Irish Sea after Brexit. Gudgin states that this new tough line from Dublin on the Irish Border is an unhelpful change of direction on an already complex issue — and that Varadkar’s decision to cease work on a potential electronic Border is particularly unwelcome. Moreover, his call in Belfast for the UK to negotiate a bespoke customs unions deal with the EU would require a special dispensation from the EU to allow the UK to agree new trade deals with third countries. This would be a major departure from EU practice — and is unlikely to be agreed.

This major new Policy Exchange report sets out the once in a generation opportunity that Brexit offers our nation to reform its agricultural and environmental policy. Since 1973, UK farm and food policies have conformed to the rules and objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — the EU’s principal policy programme. Doing so has, at great expense, reduced Britain’s agricultural productivity by lessening competition and supporting inefficient farmers. It has also increased costs for consumers. This report outlines opportunities to improve policy by focusing on four main interest groups: consumers, producers, the wider rural economy, and the environment. This report offers timely and comprehensive analysis and answers to some of the most pressing policy questions of our day.

School budgets are now a matter of urgent concern — but in seeking savings, are schools making the best choices? Are school and system leaders thinking radically enough about how their organisations can change to meet the core needs of children in education? John Blake and Mark Lehain of Policy Exchange’s Education Unit — former teachers with two decades of front-line experience between them — offer suggestions, and seek the views of parents, teachers, governors, and other interested parties.

The Defence Secretary, the Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon MP addressed a record crowd at Policy Exchange’s summer reception — kindly sponsored by CQS. Sir Michael’s remarks about the need for military values to be considered more by politicians made it the most widely reported Policy Exchange Summer Party ever, including by Sky News, the BBC and the Huffington Post. He also paid tribute to Policy Exchange for our work “on lawfare and to enrich the debate on national security” — in reports such as The Fog of Law and Clearing the Fog of Law.

Policy Exchange hosted Professor Richard Tuck, one of the world’s leading historians of ideas, to set out the case for Brexit as the best opportunity for the Left to bring about pure socialism. Labour MP Caroline Flint delivered the vote of thanks, in which she cautioned her colleagues that “We cannot spend the next 18 months voting down every one of the Tories’ EU Bills. If we do so, we will look like liars” in remarks covered by the Express, the Sun and Total Politics.