MPs, especially Conservatives, want to “have their cake and eat it” by having pictures taken with charities but ignoring their lobbying on policy, MP Wes Streeting told the Labour Party Conference earlier this week.

Streeting (pictured), Labour MP for Ilford North and former president of the NUS,  told an Acevo fringe event that MPs, particularly when it comes to party conference season, are happy to be seen in photo opportunities with charities, but when that same charity turns around and questions government policy, then “they don’t want to listen, or think they are talking out of line”.

He said at the event on 'Speaking up for civil society: When should charities provide political opposition? that this is particularly true of some Conservative MPs who voted in favour of the Lobbying Act and strongly believe in it.

He said of these MPs: “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say that charities have a really important role in changing and transforming our society, but when they are gathering the evidence and voices of people that, frankly, politics is not very good at reaching, that somehow you don’t want to listen.”

Streeting also praised the website 38 Degrees, whose founder David Babbs was also on the panel.

Streeting spoke of how some colleagues had complained about the annoyance of receiving many emails through 38 Degrees' campaigning tool, which is something it has previously come under fire for.

He said: “There has been a number of times I’ve heard colleagues from all parties slag off 38 Degrees because it is deeply inconvenient to have members of the public contacting us about their views. But that is what politics is about. Just by sending an email they are showing that they care enough to click a button”.

Streeting said that this sort of tool “is fantastic and should be encouraged”, as it allows people who wouldn’t usually get involved in politics do so.

He said: “Sorry if it generates more work, but this is our job. This is what politics and politicians are there to do. If you are not listening to the public, then why did you bother to stand for election in the first place? I think some of this comes down to what your vision for civil society and charities is.”

Susan Jones, MP for Clwyd South and former charity fundraiser, agreed with Streeting on this. She said: “Sometimes it is wonderful when charities come to MPs and campaign to us, but sometimes it is a total pain in the neck. But that is the whole point of a civic society.”

Streeting went on to further criticise Conservatives' views on charities.

He said:“Any charity worth its salt wants to abolish itself, and make sure that the problems and issues it is tackling are dealt with permanently”.

But, he said, “some people on the right of politics want to see charities there as permanent because they think charities should be doing a lot of the things that the state is currently doing”.

He said that this “is a very Victorian view of philanthropy”, and that “philanthropy is wonderful but I don’t think charities are there to replace the role of the state”.