As a researcher on Parliamentary matters, I am only too aware of the importance of the relationship between charities and MPs. But three separate events suggest a worrying new direction in the way MPs view charity lobbying.

We had a sector meeting with some of our Charity Awareness Monitor clients last week and some of the discussion was about how some donors are getting more sceptical about international development being a deserving cause. The recession at home and debatable spending priorities like nuclear and space programmes have prompted many questions about who we should be helping and why. It’s a good question and one that, being Indian, I have admittedly mixed feelings on. 

Ever since Lord Hodgson’s review of the Charities Act recommended that charities with an income of over £1 million have an automatic right to pay their trustees, arguments have raged on both sides. Lord Hodgson and his supporters say that the change will help charities attract the best and brightest for the boardroom. Opponents are concerned that payment will further erode the voluntary ethos that the charity sector is based on.

Unpaid internships have been a source of controversy for several years. A quick Google search will bring up many an article, including the Guardian and the NUS. Not quite so prevalent are articles on internships in the charity sector. And the sector goes suspiciously quiet when the thorny subject comes up.