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IN THIS ASI EVENTS BULLETIN: Danny Kruger MP on Smith, Harriet Cross MP on North Sea Oil and Dr Mark Skousen on Benjamin Franklin!
In this special events bulletin, we’re thrilled to give you an exclusive sneak peek at what’s coming up this June at the ASI.
250TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT
The Smithian Economy: Family, Community and Country
As part of our 250th Anniversary Lecture series, we are delighted to invite you to the Adam Smith Institute’s upcoming keynote lecture on Tuesday, 16th June—a date we celebrate as Adam Smith’s birthday. To mark the occasion, we will be joined by Danny Kruger MP, Reform UK’s Head of Preparation for Government.
In this keynote address, Kruger will outline Reform’s principles for social policy, moving beyond the false dichotomy of top-down state control versus atomised individualism. He will argue for a revitalised approach—one that looks past distant bureaucracies and, instead, trusts families, local associations, and civil society.
Adam Smith is routinely caricatured as the patron saint of unfettered individualism. This is a misreading. Smith wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments seventeen years before The Wealth of Nations. He believed that sympathy, moral sentiment, and the bonds of family and community were the foundations on which commerce and liberty rested. His famous critique of the “man of system” — the central planner who moves people around like pieces on a chessboard — was not a defence of atomised selfishness. It was a defence of organic social order against utopian design.
Edmund Burke recognised this immediately. After reading The Theory of Moral Sentiments, he wrote to Smith that he was “not only pleased with the ingenuity of your Theory” but “convinced of its solidity and Truth.” Smith later said that Burke was “the only man who, without communication, thought on these topics exactly as he did.”
That intellectual kinship runs deeper than personal friendship. Burke’s “little platoons” — the family, the parish, the local association — are the social units through which moral sentiments operate. Hayek later developed the same insight into his theory of spontaneous order: that the most resilient and adaptive institutions are not designed from above but emerge from below, through the accumulated wisdom of generations.
The question for this lecture is: what does a social policy look like that trusts people, families and communities rather than distant bureaucracies?
Event Details
Date: Tuesday, 16th June 2026
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: The Caledonian Club (9 Halkin Street, London SW1X 7DR)
Keynote Speaker: Danny Kruger MP
Chair: James Lawson, Chairman of the ASI
Dress code: business/club attire (see here [ [link removed] ])
Refreshments provided
Agenda
6:00 – 7:00 PM: Drinks Reception
7:00 – 7:05 PM: Introduction by James Lawson
7:05 – 7:40 PM: Keynote Lecture: Danny Kruger MP
7:40 – 8:00 PM: Chaired Q&A
8:00 – 9:00 PM: Drinks Reception
NEXT GENERATION
The Next Generation with Harriet Cross MP
🕺 Join us for our next Next Generation drinks on Tuesday, 2nd June! 💃
​This month, we are thrilled to welcome Harriet Cross MP, the Member of Parliament for Gordon and Buchan. Since her election in July 2024, Harriet has hit the ground running in Westminster, recently being appointed as an Opposition Assistant Whip. With a background as a Chartered Rural Surveyor and a degree in Zoology, Harriet brings a refreshing, reality-based perspective to the front lines of British energy policy.
We are frequently told that the age of fossil fuels is over, yet the UK currently faces some of the highest electricity prices in the developed world, stifling growth and hitting household budgets. While the “keep it in the ground” lobby treats the North Sea as a relic, Harriet is here to make the case for a more dynamic, market-led approach.
She’ll be discussing “Beyond ideology: The ongoing and important role of UK North Sea Oil and Gas.” Harriet will argue that a thriving domestic energy sector is the backbone of a resilient, high-growth economy. If we want to power the future and adapt to an increasingly unstable world, we need to stop ignoring the resources right under our feet.
Housekeeping:
Date: Tuesday, 2nd June 2026
Time: Doors open 6 PM sharp
Venue: 23 Great Smith Street, Westminster. SW1P 3DJ
Refreshments provided 🍷
A bit more about these meetings: At TNGs, we throw our doors open to Westminster’s finest to enjoy a political discussion over a few glasses of (free) wine. Open to parliamentary staffers, journos, SpAds, consultants, students, and even the odd civil servant, TNGs are a place to network, chat, and relax. Whatever your politics, we just like interesting ideas and we hope you do too. It’s for under-35s, it’s informal, and we normally end up at the Marquis of Granby.
Please note this event is exclusively for under-35s. If we reach capacity, we will add you to our waiting list.
ENLIGHTENMENT EVENING
Enlightenment Evening: Benjamin Franklin - Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand?
​Join us for an Enlightenment Evening exploring the “Invisible Hand” behind the American Revolution with Dr Mark Skousen on Wednesday, 17th June.
​In his 1776 magnum opus The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith made a radical, highly controversial argument: Great Britain should grant the American colonies independence. He viewed them not as a jewel in the Crown, but as a “financial drag.” Yet, curiously, Smith also predicted that these same colonies would rise to become one of the most formidable empires in history.
​Why did the Scottish philosopher dedicate more space to America than almost any other subject? And what led him to such a bold, prophetic vision of the New World’s potential?
​Join us to uncover the intellectual partnership that shaped the modern world. Dr. Mark Skousen will demonstrate how Smith’s positive view of America was forged through his London meetings with Benjamin Franklin. Discover how this cross-pollination of ideas led Smith to champion American independence, while Franklin was converted to the gospel of laissez-faire and free trade.
​Joining us is Dr Mark Skousen, a world-renowned economist, university professor, and author of over 25 books. Currently the Doti-Spogli Endowed Chair of Free Enterprise at Chapman University, Dr. Skousen has taught at Columbia Business School and was the former President of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). A recipient of the “Triple Crown in Economics” for his contributions to theory, history, and education, his work on Gross Output (GO) is now published quarterly by the federal government alongside GDP. His latest book is The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, the World’s Most Versatile Genius (2025).
​Doors open at 6 PM for a sharp 6.30 PM start. There will be a 30-minute address by Dr. Skousen followed by 10–15 minutes of audience Q&A.
Register for Event
​Housekeeping:
​Date: Wednesday, 17th June 2026
​Time: Doors open 6 PM sharp
​Venue: 23 Great Smith Street, Westminster, SW1P 3DJ
​Refreshments provided 🍷
Whether you want to celebrate Adam Smith’s 250th anniversary, talk energy strategy or uncover the intellectual roots of the American Revolution, June is shaping up to be an unmissable month at the ASI.
Come for the drinks, stay for the ideas.
Click the links above to RSVP.
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