As the Lobbying Bill trundles through Parliament, the nightmare of charities being severely limited in politically representing their beneficiaries threatens to become a reality. So what exactly do the public think about charities having the right to lobby? And what does it mean to MPs and journalists for charities to 'be political'?
Peter Dawson
On 17th July we hosted a dynamic panel discussion to explore the state of the UK charity sector and the new opportunities emerging under the recently elected Labour government. Our distinguished panel included Chloe Wright, Head of External Affairs at Age UK, Alex Kenney, Senior Public Affairs Manager at BHF, and Sophie Dodgeon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at RNIB. Together, they provided valuable insights and discussed the potential impacts of the new political landscape on charitable organizations.
The public have spoken and it is time for change. Labour comes in with a huge majority and it is the worst result for the Conservatives on record. Smaller parties have done very well, with the Liberal Democrats not far behind the Conservatives as the official Opposition. The SNP, Greens and Reform all now have handful of MPs.
Tim Harrison-Byrne
Another week and another charity criticising government. On Tuesday, Mind tweeted:
“People don't choose to be on disability benefits. It's their last resort. Stop blaming people with mental health problems. If the Secretary of State wants a grown-up conversation about this, then he should meet with us. We've sent an invite.”
Heather Sturgess
The upcoming local elections in May are being treated as a bellwether for the general election. A big loss for the Conservatives will be seen as an indicator that Labour is poised to win the next general election. But after over a decade of a Conservative government, what do we know about Labour MPs and their attitudes towards charities?
Labour MPs are positive about relations between parliament and the charity sector
Ben Roberts
As another year draws to a close, we can reflect on what a strange beast UK politics has been over the past twelve months. On the one hand, we’ve had the likes of the Partygate scandal, the rise and subsequent removal of Suella Braverman, a change in Scottish leadership, a huge number of protests, and enough gaffs to fill an episode of You’ve Been Framed.
Ben Roberts
As the curtains fall on this week's Conservative conference, the charity sector is left pondering a curious narrative that’s been thrust upon it. Once again, comments have been made that reinforce the difficulties that charities are apparently doomed to face when standing at the intersection of politics and philanthropy.
Heather Sturgess, Peter Dawson, & Naomi Croft
The past several weeks have seen a lot of speculation around when the next general election will be held, and what a new parliament will mean for the UK. At nfpResearch, times like these often mean fielding questions from charities wondering when the time is right to start monitoring their standing with MPs once we have our new parliament. Our advice: start TODAY.