Department for Culture, Media and Sport written question – answered at on 30 March 2026.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Conservative
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Charity Commission has sufficient powers to suspend or remove charitable status where organisations are suspected of promoting the interests of hostile foreign governments.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Conservative
To ask His Majesty's Government how many charities are currently subject to investigation by the Charity Commission because of alleged links with the Iranian regime.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Conservative
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review charity law to address risks arising from foreign state influence operations.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Conservative
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish guidance for charities on avoiding foreign state influence or infiltration.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Conservative
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of charities as vehicles for foreign state influence operations.
Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip), The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Charity Commission’s recent Charity Sector Risk Assessment noted that hostile foreign states may seek to gain influence in the UK by using charities as a vehicle for promoting their worldview. The Charity Commission is alive to these threats and works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited.
The Charity Commission has a range of powers at its disposal to take action against abuse of charitable status, including freezing bank accounts, directing trustees to take corrective action, or disqualifying trustees. DCMS keeps the Charity Commission’s powers and charity law under regular review and is actively seeking to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers.
The Charity Commission currently has three statutory inquiries open involving charities with alleged links to Iran: the Islamic Centre of England, Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust and Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust, as well as other non-inquiry casework.
The Charity Commission has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes and earlier this month published updated guidance for charities on the evolving situation in Iran.
Charity Sector Risk Assessment (pdf, 385.5KB)
Guidance on Protecting Charities from Extremist Ab (pdf, 689.5KB)
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