Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, will chair an independent commission into the vetting of trustees and senior executives at Islamic Relief Worldwide.
The commission has been set up by the charity’s newly elected board of trustees after two former trustees had to resign following the emergence of antisemitic comments the pair had posted on social media in 2014 and 2015.
Its work will begin immediately to review senior executive and trustee screening, vetting policies and practices of all IRW entities and associated organisations.
The commission will compare policies, procedures and best practice among other international NGOs and UN organisations to ensure the charity is modelling best practice.
Grieve, a barrister who spent 22 years as the Conservative MP for Beaconsfield, will be assisted by Sir Clive Jones, a former chair of the Disasters Emergency Committee – a coalition of 14 humanitarian agencies in the UK, of which IRW is a member.
Grieve was Attorney General between 2010 and 2014 and had the Conservative whip removed last year after he was part of a group of Tories that voted against the government in a Brexit vote. He went on to lose his Beaconsfield seat in last year’s general election when standing as an independent candidate.
He said: “I have been encouraged by the openness and honesty of Islamic Relief about recent events, as well as its determination to learn lessons and take responsibility as an organisation.
“I look forward to the challenge of advising and informing an organisation whose humanitarian footprint and impact is considerable.
“I also look forward to working with Sir Clive, as there are few others who I can think of who know the sector better.”
Ihab Saad, chair of IRW’s board of trustees, said the commission was set up to help ensure independent, credible and well-respected third-party leadership for what needs to be a fundamental review of the charity’s practices.
Saad said: “In securing Dominic Grieve and Sir Clive Jones, we are confident that we are on course to generate a robust and relevant set of recommendations for Islamic Relief to put in place.”
The commission is expected to report back in January.