After the Good Law Project threatened legal action, the Commission agreed to take another look.
The Charity Commission has opened a formal investigation into the right-wing Tufton Street think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), following a complaint from the Good Law Project, as well as a cross-party group of MPs.
The IEA, which has long been accused of breaching charity laws and of being biased, is also
widely acknowledged as the inspiration behind Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget. The Tufton Street based think-tank was reported to the regulator over apparent breaches of charity law in March last year, only for the Commission to take just 12 days to dismiss the complaint.
However, after the Good Law Project threatened legal action, the Commission agreed to take another look.
It has now been reported that the Commission has opened an investigation into the IEA. The Good Law Project reports: “The potential regulatory concerns relate to the trustees’ management of:
- perceptions of potential political bias;
- perceptions of a potential lack of transparency around funding; and,
- perceptions that the charity may have pre-determined policy positions which would not be in keeping with its charitable purposes to advance education.
The Charity Commission states that a charity’s purpose should not be political.
Not only did the IEA take credit for many of the disastrous policies contained in Liz Truss’ mini-budget, the IEA’s Director of Public Policy and Communications agreed publicly that Liz Truss had handed over power to the IEA and other “extreme neoliberal thinktanks.”
The IEA has also questioned climate science and pushed for an insurance based healthcare system in the UK.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn’t have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.
