The Charity Commission is assessing concerns against a prominent anti-racist charity after Nigel Farage complained that it has been influencing a key local election.
Farage wrote to the commission on Tuesday to complain about Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust (HUCT) funding private company Hope Not Hate Limited’s “political activities”.
A Charity Commission spokesperson subsequently said: “We are currently assessing concerns relating to Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust to determine if there is any role for the commission as charity regulator.”
In his letter posted to X, Farage accused the charity of sending leaflets to Makerfield homes endorsing Labour candidate Andy Burnham at next month’s by-election and rejecting his party Reform UK.
Farage said: “HUCT funding Hope Not Hate Limited’s political activities represents a clear conflict of interest on the part of the trustees.”
The Reform UK leader went on to claim that Hope Not Hate Limited has been and continues to be funded “almost entirely” by HUCT grants, which he said amounted to a “clear breach of the Charity Commission’s regulations”.
In response, Hope Not Hate chief executive Nick Lowles said on social media that Reform UK’s complaint was “a transparent attempt to distract from legitimate scrutiny of its candidate in Makerfield”.
“It’s a shame that Nigel Farage has not put as much effort into vetting his own candidates as he has done making spurious complaints to the Charity Commission,” he wrote, and vowed to continue campaigning in Makerfield.
‘A charity must stress its independence’
The commission closed a compliance case into HUCT, formerly Hope Not Hate Charitable Trust, after “repeated complaints” about its relationship with a similarly named private company.
The case was opened in July 2025 and closed in January this year after the charity changed its name to distinguish itself from the firm Hope Not Hate Limited.
As part of its guidance on political activity, drawn from legal principles, the commission said that charities must ensure that political involvement is balanced.
It stated that charities can campaign and engage in political activity when it helps them to achieve their founding objectives, but they must not pick sides.
The regulator told HUCT that it must apply its policies “fairly and consistently when considering recipients” for grants after its prior compliance case.
HUCT’s Charity Commission listing shows that the vast majority of its total expenditure in the last recorded financial year to 31 December 2024 was on “charitable activities”.
Some £893,700 was spent this way, while £37,606 went towards fundraising.
Civil Society has approached HUCT and Hope Not Hate Limited for comment.
