London, Aug 16, IRNA — One of the charities set up by former prime minister Tony Blair after he resigned from office to help African leaders tackle poverty has been reprimanded for political campaigning during this year’s election.
Conservative MP Greg Hands said he had signed up as a supporter of the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative but that he had since received emails from a political campaigning organisation that asked him to support the Labour Party.
After taking up the issue with the Charity Commission, the watchdog was said to have sent letter reprimanding the charity for failing to take adequate steps to protect its database being exploited for political purposes.
A Charity Commssion spokeswoman told Third Sector news it had issued “regulatory advice and guidance” about charities and political campaigning, but would not take further action.
The watchdog’s guidelines on charities and political campaigning say charities “cannot give general support to a political party”, whether deliberately or by mistake.
The reprimand comes as peace organisations have responded cynically to news that Blair, who led the UK into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is to donate the proceeds from his forthcoming memoirs, to a charity for wounded soldiers.
“Blair recognises the courage and sacrifice the armed forces demonstrate day in, day out. As prime minister he witnessed that for himself in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and Kosovo,” as spokesman for the former prime minister said.
Relatives of many of the soldiers killed in Iraq have been seeking to prosecute Blair for war crimes.