I’d like to begin with three statements:

1. There exists a misguided stereotype that charities should focus on non-contentious service delivery.
2. The influence of charities in public debate, understanding, and policy formation has been a fundamental part of the sector’s contribution to society for centuries.
3. The run up to a general election is a time of opportunity in which charities have a responsibility to do what they can for their cause – it is not a time for fear.

Political activity versus party political activity

There is a distinct difference between political activity and party political activity. The law is clear that charities must not support one political party over another, nor should they tell people how they should vote.

The Charity Commissions states that charities can, however, engage in political activity in support of their charitable objectives. This includes activity which seeks to create, change, or support various laws or policies.

I would add that charities do have a responsibility to at least consider whether political activity might be a necessary, or the best, way of advancing their cause.

A short history of charitable political activity

The enormous, convulsive campaigns culminating in the abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807, and the abolition of Slavery itself in the British Empire in 1832 set the template for thousands of charitable campaigns in the years that followed, introducing many men and women to the idea of, and actual participation in, non-party political activity for a moral cause.

Let’s enumerate some of them; the licensing of liquor, the emancipation of religious minorities, the improvement of conditions in factories and mines, the rights and status of women, the protection of animals from cruelty, the rights and dignity of gay people, racial equality… and on it goes.

These examples, alongside countless others, form a core part of our country’s history. Non-party political activity allows charities to enter the political arena, becoming part of the awareness-raising and debate that leads to informed collective decision-making in a democracy.

Political campaigning is also not a left wing or right wing tradition. Historically, prominent figures from across the political spectrum have supported non-party political campaigns in pursuit of varying moral objectives.

Many of these historical achievements involved passionate advocacy, demonstrations, protests and contention. In many cases they aroused strong opposition at first, even though later it became taken for granted that the changes they demanded were right.

The idea that charities should be uncontentious and bring people together, acting within an entirely different category of activity from the argumentative world of political debate, is simplistic. While some charities may operate in this way, many others rightly take their arguments into the public arena in passionate support of their charitable causes. Legally, they have every right to; factually, many have always done this and continue to do so; historically, it has been a proud tradition shaping our country.

The most secure basis for charitable political activity is a Board of Trustees of diverse party political opinions that are left outside the door of the charity.

Why do so many charities choose to engage in political activity?

• Because the status of people, animals or plants that may be currently neglected cannot be improved unless they become part of political debate
• Because external threats may be so great that the resources of the state are required to provide sufficient protection and action
• Because current laws and practice, or lack thereof, are part of the problem and need to change
• Because tackling the causes of our problems, rather than attaching sticking plasters, is often inherently political
• Because in all these cases, limited practical projects, however brilliant, are inadequate for providing transformative change

What next for charities, as a general election looms?

Elections are climactic moments in democratic political life, offering important opportunities for charities to formulate their requirements of a future government. As a general election looms, charities across the UK will seek to ensure that they are salient in public debate and will strive to see their objectives reflected in manifestos across the political spectrum.

Charities can be certain that if they vacate the political arena out of caution or fear of engaging in political activity, others will fill the vacuum and make sure their agendas prevail instead.

By engaging in non-party political activity in the run up to the 2024 general election, The Wildlife Trusts and many other likeminded organisations will seek to address the calamitous deterioration of nature. This represents a continuation a longstanding tradition whereby charities have used the hard-won freedoms of expression and assembly, the rule of law, and democratic voting to further their charitable objectives. It is not only right that they continue to do so - it is essential.