The Charity Commission has rejected calls from a cross-party group of politicians to open an inquiry into a charitable think tank.
Earlier this month, the Good Law Project, a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to use the law to protect the interests of the public, sent a letter to the regulator calling for it to open an inquiry into the Institute of Economic Affairs.
The letter, which was backed by a cross-party group of politicians including Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, and Andrew Purkis, a former Charity Commission board member, claimed the IEA was contravening rules around its political campaigning, conducted unbalanced educational research and had inappropriate relationships with its offshoot organisations.
But a spokesperson for the Charity Commission said yesterday: “We assessed the matters raised by the Good Law Project and did not identify concerns that the IEA is acting outside of its objects or the commission’s published guidance.
“We therefore did not consider that regulatory action was required.”
The Good Law Project letter was sent just after Orlando Fraser, chair of the Charity Commission, said the regulator would “rarely intervene” when allegations of political bias were made against charitable think tanks.
A spokesperson for the Institute of Economic Affairs said: “The IEA welcomes the Charity Commission’s rapid rejection of the Good Law Project’s vexatious complaint.
“This publicity stunt has backfired by reconfirming the IEA is acting consistently with our status as an educational charity.
“This is a clear victory for freedom of expression in the face of those trying to silence different perspectives. We look forward to continuing to advance the public understanding of economic ideas from a free market perspective.”
Jo Maugham, executive director of the Good Law Project, said his organisation was “considering with our lawyers the Charity Commission’s explicit indication that it won’t regulate the political activities of think tanks”.
He said: “The Charity Commission reacted with uncharacteristic speed to clear the Institute of Economic Affairs. It arrived at that decision after it ditched, the day after receiving our letter, guidance on think tanks’ legal duties.
“We believe charities should be about improving lives, not being the mask to hide the worst of corporate greed.”