Charities have been told to stay out of politics and “stick to their knitting” by the new minister in charge of the voluntary sector who says that he supports moves to rein in campaigning.
In his first speech, Brooks Newmark, minister for civil society, said that the British public were generous donors, but he did not think people wanted their donations spent on political campaigning. “When they stray into the realm of politics it’s not what they are about and not what the public gives them money for,” he said.
Asked if he sympathised with the view of Gwythian Prins, a member of the Charity Commission’s board, who told charities they should “stick to their knitting”, he said that he did, adding: “By that I mean promoting the agenda of helping others.”
The Charity Commission is consulting on plans that would require charities to say how much they spend on campaigning. The move follows legal changes limiting what charities can do during election campaigns.
However, Joe Saxton, head of nfpSynergy, a research group, said: “Our research shows again and again that the public don’t have a problem with charities’ campaigning.”