According to Tony Blair the Strategy Unit would "look ahead at the way policy would develop, the fresh challenges and new ideas to meet them".
It had three primary roles:[3] Over its history the Strategy Unit varied in size, averaging around forty-five staff but at one point reached 150.
The Unit produced many significant reports which set and drove the direction of the Blair and Brown Governments.
[22] The Strategy Unit also ran a high-profile seminar series,[23] with speakers including Martin Wolf, Paul Krugman, Sir Gus O'Donnell, Lord Ian Blair, and Robert Putnam.
The Strategy Unit was based in the Admiralty Arch, part of the Cabinet Office's buildings in Whitehall.