Charlie Elphicke has urged the Charity Commission to strengthen its guidance on political campaigning to clarify the charitable status of think tanks.

Last year the Conservative MP for Dover and Deal raised concerns with the Charity Commission about the closeness of the relationship between the Institute for Public Policy Research and Labour. The regulator then opened an operational compliance case into the charity.

Although the Commission found that the IPPR report at the centre of the complaint was not funded by or produced at the request of the Labour Party, it warned the think tank about the “perception that it had supported the development of Labour Party policy” because it had allowed Labour policies to be announced at the launch of the report.

Responding to the outcome of the Commission’s investigation, in a blog for the Conservative Home website, Elphicke said: “It’s deeply disappointing that the Charity Commission had to step in.

“There should be a tightening of the rules on the politicisation of charities. The Charity Commission’s guidance on political campaigning should be strengthened. The charitable status of think tanks like the IPPR should be clarified,” he added.

The Commission has already said that it will look again at its guidance on campaigning, CC9, but not until after this year's general election.

Paula Sussex told MPs that after the election "we are going to look at more evidence and test cases to look at the way the current guidance is working". 

A statement from Commission added that: "Findings from our election case work, along with the impact of the Lobbying Act, will have to be reviewed after the election.

"Such a review, and the consideration of other issues relating to the current guidance may, or may not recommend changes to the guidance. If we do consider revisions should be made to CC9, we will say so publicly and consult widely."