“He Lives Like a Monk”: Meet Philip Blond, Daniel Craig’s unlikely step-brother, who founded the influential ResPublica think tank, raising £1.5 million in its first three years.

While Daniel Craig became a globally recognized figure portraying the stylish, action-oriented James Bond, his step-brother, Philip Blond, has quietly operated in a profoundly different sphere: that of radical political and theological philosophy. Blond’s influential work helped shape the direction of modern British political thought and the policies of a Conservative government, a “secret life” that earned him the moniker of living “like a monk” due to his intense focus.

Philip Blond, born in Liverpool, is the step-brother of the James Bond actor. His career is one of high-level academic engagement leading to unexpected political influence.

 

🎓 The Radical Academic Journey: From Hull to Radical Orthodoxy

 

Blond’s formidable intellectual foundation was built across several prestigious UK universities:

• He studied philosophy and politics at the University of Hull.
• He pursued continental philosophy at the University of Warwick.
• He later focused on theology at Peterhouse at the University of Cambridge.

At Cambridge, he was a student of John Milbank, the founder of the influential radical orthodoxy theological movement, a noted philosophical critic of liberalism. Blond’s first work, Post-Secular Philosophy: Between Philosophy and Theology, reflects this deep engagement, positioning him as a major voice in the critique of modern society. He also held a prize research fellowship at the New School for Social Research in New York.

 

🏛️ The Political Surprise: Architect of “Red Toryism”

 

The true surprise in Philip Blond’s life is his dramatic shift from academia into the heart of British politics, where he became a prominent and influential figure.

1. The “Red Toryism” Manifesto: Blond gained widespread prominence in 2009 with a cover story in Prospect magazine that introduced his essay on “Red Toryism.” This essay proposed a radical communitarian traditionalist conservatism that attacked the monopolies of both the state and the market. Blond argued that individualism and statism are actually “the two sides of the same coin,” both stemming from thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes.
2. The Think Tank: After leaving the think tank Demos due to “political and philosophical differences,” Blond established his own non-partisan public policy think tank, ResPublica, in 2009.
3. The Funding and Influence: The think tank immediately gained traction, with Blond claiming to have raised £1.5 million in just two weeks at the time of its formation. This level of early financial success quickly translated into political influence.
4. The Big Society Architect: His prominence peaked when The Daily Telegraph in 2010 called him “a driving force behind David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ agenda.” This flagship policy of the Conservative government aimed to decentralize power and encourage community action, drawing heavily on Blond’s communitarian philosophies.

Philip Blond’s career demonstrates a remarkable trajectory, transitioning from a highly specialized theological scholar to a political strategist whose ideas directly impacted the national policy of the UK, all while maintaining a private life far removed from the global celebrity of his step-brother, Daniel Craig.