Yesterday the Globalisation Institute held its summer reception at Howard Flight’s home, just round the corner from the Houses of Parliament. The 100 guests included friends and supporters of the Institute, journalists with the major papers and television, and with magazines from The Spectator to Reader's Digest, plus prominent MPs including Peter Lilley (Chairman of the Conservative Party’s Globalisation and Global Poverty Group), Andrew Mitchell (Shadow Secretary of State for International Development) and Alan Duncan (Shadow Secretary of State for Trade & Industry).

The Institute’s Alex Singleton spoke briefly on the GI’s mission which involves making the case for globalisation in schools, universities and with the public at large, but more importantly it involves developing practical and politically-savvy policy options that politicians can adopt off the shelf. He spoke on the need for new thinking, a theme echoed by Shadow Chancellor George Osborne who gave a rousing speech.