Centre for Social Justice
A British independent centre-right think tank focused on poverty, social exclusion and public-policy reform.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is an independent British think tank established in 2004 by Conservative politicians and policy activists Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Montgomerie and Philippa Stroud. It presents itself as politically independent while operating from a centre-right perspective and seeking to place social justice at the centre of British political debate. Its work generally examines the structural and personal factors associated with poverty and social exclusion, including family breakdown, worklessness, addiction, educational failure, homelessness, gang culture and modern slavery. The organisation became particularly influential during the development of the modern Conservative Party policy agenda. Its major Breakthrough Britain programme examined the causes and consequences of entrenched deprivation and proposed reforms intended to strengthen families, improve employment outcomes, address addiction and expand opportunity. The programme helped establish the CSJ as an important source of social-policy ideas for Conservatives during David Cameron's leadership, although the organisation has also sought to work across party and institutional boundaries. The CSJ has contributed to debates and policy development in several areas. Its research and advocacy were associated with the design and promotion of Universal Credit, a welfare reform intended to combine several working-age benefits into a single payment and strengthen incentives to enter employment. The organisation also campaigned for stronger action against modern slavery and was involved in building support for the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Other policy areas have included gambling regulation, policing finance, women's imprisonment, homelessness, housing, education, family policy and addiction treatment. The think tank has used reports, parliamentary engagement, public events and alliances with charities to promote its recommendations. It coordinates an alliance of voluntary-sector organisations working on poverty and social exclusion, holds the annual Centre for Social Justice Awards, and organises events around the conferences of major UK political parties. Its early operating model was organised around temporary projects, but under chief executive Andy Cook it developed more permanent policy units led by specialist heads. Among its notable policy interventions, the CSJ supported a Housing First approach for people experiencing homelessness alongside substance-use or other complex needs. The government subsequently funded pilot schemes in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester. Its campaign to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2 was followed by government implementation of that limit in 2018. A CSJ proposal concerning police and crime commissioners' flexibility over the policing precept was also reflected in later policy arrangements. In the area of women's imprisonment, its 2018 report argued for community-based alternatives rather than expanding the prison estate, after which the government abandoned plans for several new women's prisons and proposed residential-centre pilots. The CSJ continues to publish policy research and recommendations for UK governments and political parties. Its public profile reflects both its policy influence and its position within the centre-right think-tank ecosystem. Questions have also been raised about its financial-transparency practices: in September 2023, the transparency organisation Who Funds You? assigned it a D rating, the second-lowest grade in that system.
History
The Centre for Social Justice was created in 2004 by Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Montgomerie and Philippa Stroud. Its formation reflected an effort within British conservatism to develop a stronger social-policy response to poverty and deprivation. Rather than treating social justice solely as a question of income redistribution, the organisation has generally framed poverty as a multidimensional problem involving family instability, unemployment, addiction, poor educational outcomes, weak community institutions and exclusion from mainstream social and economic life. The CSJ initially operated through a project-based structure. Policy projects could be established around particular social problems, with staff and research priorities changing as projects were completed. This approach enabled the organisation to investigate a broad range of issues but gave it a relatively fluid institutional identity. Under chief executive Andy Cook, it moved towards permanent policy units, each with an identified lead and a more continuous programme of research and advocacy. Its most influential early work was Breakthrough Britain, a major examination of the causes and effects of persistent poverty. The programme proposed measures covering family relationships, welfare, work, addiction, education and local communities. Although the CSJ describes itself as independent, its ideas attracted particular attention from the Conservative Party during David Cameron's leadership. The organisation became associated with the modernisation of Conservative social policy and with attempts to connect centre-right politics to practical anti-poverty interventions. The think tank subsequently worked on welfare reform and played an important role in the design and development of Universal Credit. It also helped build political support for stronger action against modern slavery, an area that culminated in the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Other research addressed gang culture, educational failure, addiction, family breakdown, homelessness, gambling and criminal justice. In 2017, the CSJ promoted Housing First for people experiencing homelessness while dealing with drug or alcohol dependency and other complex needs. The model prioritises permanent accommodation and then provides care, treatment and training rather than requiring people to resolve all problems before receiving housing. The organisation called for national adoption, and the government funded pilot programmes in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester. The CSJ returned to the subject with additional research published in 2025. The organisation also influenced debates on local policing finance. Its Growing the Local report proposed giving police and crime commissioners greater flexibility to raise the police precept, allowing additional resources for policing and crime prevention. In gambling policy, its Lowering the Stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals campaign sought to reduce the maximum stake from £100 to £2; the government adopted that limit in 2018. In 2018, A Woman-Centred Approach argued against constructing up to five additional women's prisons and recommended investment in community-based provision. The Ministry of Justice later abandoned the prison-expansion plans and proposed pilots for five residential centres serving women in the community. The CSJ has also issued positions on pensions and public spending, including a 2019 call to raise the state pension age to 75 and a 2026 call to reduce welfare spending to help fund increased defence expenditure. Beyond research, the CSJ coordinates an alliance of charities working against poverty, stages events at the conferences of major UK political parties and operates the annual Centre for Social Justice Awards for voluntary and non-profit organisations. Its network has included politicians, business figures, civil servants, charity leaders and policy advocates from different parts of British public life. The organisation remains a visible participant in British social-policy debates, while its funding-transparency rating has prompted scrutiny of how openly its financial support is disclosed.
- 2025
Further Housing First report
[1]The CSJ publishes further work on Housing First and homelessness policy.
- 2023
Funding transparency rated D
[1]Who Funds You? gives the CSJ a D rating for funding transparency.
- 2018
Betting-terminal stake limit adopted
[1]The government reduces the maximum fixed-odds betting-terminal stake to £2, matching the CSJ's recommendation.
- 2018
Women's imprisonment proposals gain policy traction
[1]Following CSJ recommendations, plans for new women's prisons are abandoned and community residential-centre pilots are proposed.
- 2017
Housing First and gambling-reform advocacy
[1]The CSJ promotes nationwide Housing First provision and calls for a sharp reduction in fixed-odds betting-terminal stakes.
- 2015
Modern Slavery Act enacted
[1]The CSJ's advocacy contributes to the policy environment supporting the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
- 2012
Breakthrough Britain II announced
[1]The CSJ announces a follow-up study to its major Breakthrough Britain programme.
- 2004
Organisation founded
[1]Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Montgomerie and Philippa Stroud establish the Centre for Social Justice.
Products and positioning
Independent centre-right policy institute advocating practical reforms to reduce poverty and social exclusion, with an emphasis on family stability, work, personal recovery, education, community safety and institutional reform.
Policy research programme
Breakthrough Britain
A major CSJ research programme examining persistent poverty and social exclusion. It connected deprivation with issues such as family breakdown, worklessness, addiction, educational failure and weak community support, and proposed reforms intended to improve life chances through a combination of welfare, family, employment and public-service changes.
Homelessness policy · 2017
Housing First research
Research and advocacy supporting Housing First for people experiencing homelessness alongside addiction or other complex needs. The approach places people in permanent accommodation before requiring treatment or behavioural change, while linking housing with care, training and recovery services.
Awards programme
Centre for Social Justice Awards
An annual awards programme recognising voluntary and non-profit organisations working on poverty, social exclusion and related social problems across the United Kingdom.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018A Woman-Centred Approach
United Kingdom
The CSJ advocated community-based alternatives to expanding the women's prison estate.
Outcome. Plans for up to five new women's prisons were abandoned and residential-centre pilots were proposed.
- 2017Housing First
United Kingdom
The CSJ called for nationwide adoption of Housing First for people experiencing homelessness and complex needs.
Outcome. The government funded pilot sites in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester; the CSJ published further work on the subject in 2025.
- 2017Lowering the Stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals
United Kingdom
The campaign argued that the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals should fall from £100 to £2.
Outcome. The government implemented the £2 maximum stake in 2018.
Brand decisions
2018
Support a £2 fixed-odds betting-terminal stakeStrategyBackground
The CSJ linked high betting-terminal stakes with gambling-related harm.
Action taken
It called for the maximum stake to be reduced from £100 to £2.
Aftermath
The government introduced the recommended £2 limit.
2018
Advocate community alternatives for womenStrategyBackground
The organisation opposed plans to construct up to five new women's prisons.
Action taken
It called for investment in community-based alternatives and residential support.
Aftermath
The Ministry of Justice abandoned the prison-expansion plans and proposed five residential-centre pilots.
2017
Promote national Housing First adoptionStrategyBackground
The CSJ argued that people experiencing homelessness with addiction and other complex needs required stable accommodation alongside support.
Action taken
It called for a nationwide Housing First rollout.
Aftermath
The government funded pilot sites in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester.
Government pilot funding. £28 million (2017)
2017
Recommend greater police-precept flexibilityStrategyBackground
The Growing the Local report examined ways to provide additional resources for policing and crime prevention.
Action taken
The CSJ proposed giving police and crime commissioners more flexibility to increase the police precept.
Aftermath
The proposal was subsequently adopted in policy arrangements, providing additional policing resources.
Recent events
- 2025
CSJ publishes further Housing First research[1]
Other
The organisation issued further work on Housing First, extending its interest in homelessness policy and support for people with complex needs.
- 2023
CSJ receives D transparency rating[1]
Other
Who Funds You? assigned the Centre for Social Justice a D grade for funding transparency, described as the second-lowest rating in that system.
- 2018
Government implements £2 fixed-odds betting-terminal limit[1]
Regulation
The government introduced the maximum-stake reduction advocated by the CSJ.
- 2018
CSJ publishes woman-centred imprisonment proposals[1]
Other
The report A Woman-Centred Approach opposed plans for additional women's prisons and promoted community-based alternatives.
- 2017
Housing First pilot funding follows CSJ advocacy[1]
Other
After CSJ advocacy for nationwide Housing First provision, the government allocated funding for pilot sites in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester.
- 2017
CSJ calls for lower fixed-odds betting-terminal stakes[1]
Regulation
The organisation recommended reducing the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2.
- 2012
CSJ announces Breakthrough Britain II study[1]
Other
The think tank announced a follow-up study intended to revisit and extend the analysis of social exclusion and poverty in Britain.
- 2004
Centre for Social Justice founded[1]
Other
Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Montgomerie and Philippa Stroud co-founded the Centre for Social Justice as a policy organisation focused on poverty and social exclusion.
Breakthrough Britain becomes a major CSJ policy programme[1]
Other
The organisation's Breakthrough Britain work examined entrenched deprivation and proposed reforms on family policy, work, addiction, education and welfare.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/centre-for-social-justice · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled