The Electoral Commission has launched its guidance for non-party campaigners on managing spending and donations, as Labour appoints Baroness Maeve Sherlock to review the Lobbying Act, which it has pledged to repeal.
Yesterday, shadow minister for constitutional reform Stephen Twigg announced that Labour would ask Baroness Sherlock to review the alternatives to the government’s Lobbying Act which it pledged in February to repeal.
Sherlock has been a Labour peer since July 2010. She is a former Charity Awards chair of judges, and has been the chief executive of the National Council for One Parent Families and the Refugee Council.
Commenting on Labour’s establishment of the Sherlock Review, an Acevo spokesperson said: “Acevo welcomes Labour’s announcement of the Sherlock Review. The Lobbying Act was an unjustifiable attack on charities’ ability to speak out for the people they serve.
“We look forward to working with Labour to safeguard charities’ free speech, and we hope the other parties will show similar initiative. We will make clear that the focus should be on less red tape for the third sector, not more. Our policy activity is already regulated by the Charity Commission so Labour will need to be careful not to add to the burden of rules for campaigners.”
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission, which is responsible for regulating the laws underpinning the Lobbying Act, has launched guidance for non-party campaigners on managing spending and donations.
It says organisations will need to make an honest assessment of the proportion of staff and overhead costs associated with activity considered to be regulated campaigning activity.
Also, organisations must keep records of donations received for activity considered to be regulated campaigning activity, including the name and address of the donor and the amount or value of donation received.
The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 received Royal Assent in January after an acrimonious passage through Parliament.
The Act places restrictions on any campaign in the run-up to an election if it “can reasonably be regarded as intended to promote or procure electoral success”. Failure to obey some of its provisions is a criminal offence. Many in the charity sector believe that, even though the Act has been watered down, it could still restrict their ability to speak out.
A charitable campaign does not have to mention a political candidate to be caught by the Act. It merely has to be felt it could endorse one candidate or party over another.
