Charities should stop meddling in politics
In 2008 the Charity Commission accordingly relaxed the rules to allow charities to conduct political campaigns. Although their main purpose must not be political, charities are now able to carry out political activities as a means of supporting their foundational aims.
This allows them to launch highly partisan political campaigns. Non-governmental they may be. However, with substantial parts of their funding now coming not from private donations but from government grants, the NGOs have developed into a powerful, unaccountable sector of state-funded political activism.
My column for The Times (subscription only)