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Charities: Radicalism

Asked by David SimmondsConservativeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled Answered 16 June 2026UIN 7832

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121321 on Charities: Radicalism, whether the Charity Commission will have any enhanced powers in relation to charities with links to hostile foreign regimes.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock

DCMS will consult on measures to automatically ban individuals convicted of hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers. Further changes will require primary legislation and are subject to parliamentary timetables.

The Charity Commission has a range of powers at its disposal to take action against abuse of charitable status, including freezing bank accounts, directing trustees to take corrective action, or disqualifying trustees. DCMS keeps the Charity Commission’s powers and charity law under regular review and is actively seeking to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers.

As set out by the Security Minister in Parliament on 4 March, under the counter-political interference and espionage plan, officials are developing a programme of work to engage with the UK’s think-tanks and non-profit sector to discuss the threats that they face from foreign interference.

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