The Charity Commission’s Toothless Review of Hope Not Hate Shows it is Not Fit For Purpose

This week Hope Not Hate Limited (the private company) released its ‘State of Hate’ report for 2026. When I had a nose into the latest activities of the organisation, I was surprised to discover that it had changed the name of its charitable arm from Hope Not Hate Charitable Trust to HOPE Unlimited Charitable Trust. It’s not particularly obvious to me why this was necessary – and having delved further, I think this move raises more questions than it answers, especially about the useless Charity Commission for England and Wales.

The name-change followed the Charity Commission’s review into Hope Not Hate Charitable Trust following “repeated complaints across several years that it was not clear if the activities of Hope Not Hate Limited, a separate, non-charitable organisation, were connected to and/or endorsed by the charity”. The review concluded in January, with the Commission left satisfied that the trust had addressed concerns (an extraordinarily stupid conclusion, as you will soon see).


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transmissionofflame
1 month ago

Abolish charitable status and with it the Charity Commission. That will save us £32.35 million a year (last available annual budget figures). They are overseen by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whose department has this as a budget: £1.6 billion (current) and £1.1 billion (capital) for 2023–24 (planned). That can go too. Afuera!
Javier Milei “Afuera” Ministries Have to Go

DiscoveredJoys
DiscoveredJoys
1 month ago

Afuera indeed. But it may not be ‘outside’ far enough if some QUANGO or NGO or ‘industry body’ lives on with ‘inherited’ staff. The Commission needs to be razed to the ground and sown with salt.

transmissionofflame
1 month ago
Reply to  DiscoveredJoys

Once the funding is pulled they are more than welcome to see if someone wants to pay for this kind of stuff with their own money.

Gezza England
Gezza England
1 month ago

Looking at the list of the usual Far Left suspects, then I presume they would fund them anyway.

DiscoveredJoys
DiscoveredJoys
1 month ago

All that this debacle has shown is that the Charity Commission is not fit for purpose

An organisation meant to be a gamekeeper but staffed by poachers perhaps?

EppingBlogger
1 month ago

That goes on throughout the leftist “charity” sector.

A further question arises for the Electoral Commission. If the non charity arm engages in political campaigning related to candidates and parties or party contentious policies then it should be registered. It should report sources of campaign finance and its spending.

ElCom seems slow to pursue leftist campaigners.

A further issue arises in respect of their staff. If they are allowed (encouraged?) to take part in election campaigns there should be clear transparency. If the staff campaign outside working hours and do not represent themselves as being from the organisation then OK but otherwise there seems to be in-kind donations to the party or candidate.

MPs’ staff and civil servants etc ditto.

CircusSpot
CircusSpot
1 month ago

The problem for the haters is that their votes are splitting and their enemy is no longer RUK but the Greens and various ethic sects.

RTSC
RTSC
1 month ago

The Charity Commission is another Quango which will require Reform’s urgent attention.

transmissionofflame
1 month ago
Reply to  RTSC

Indeed
Milei closed more than half the federal government ministries – easier though as there will be equivalents at state level

JeremyP99
1 month ago

Tommy R’s investigation into this vile mob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jba6E4qoKyM

soundofreason
soundofreason
1 month ago

Cafod (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), a charity, has these and many more on their website: 

https://cafod.org.uk/news/campaigning-news/rishi-sunak-offered-maths-lesson-on-climate-finance-pledge
https://cafod.org.uk/news/campaigning-news/fossil-fuel-companies-climate-emergency-blue-plaques
https://cafod.org.uk/news/campaigning-news/prayers-for-tomorrow-delivered-to-downing-street

I recognise that Cafod is possibly less politically partizan than HNH but it has definitely drunk the Climate Alarmism Kool-Aid.

As an agency for overseas development it is remarkably reluctant to help poor countries to develop to enjoy the same standards we used to enjoy in the developed world.

Their recent appeal in Church mentioned supporting a Bangladeshi farmer who now has a floating ‘garden’ (I believe they mean small farm) which can ride out the regular floods and continue to provide produce. Clever, but hardly a solution to Bangladesh’s national problems.

I have not supported Cafod for a few years now.

markjohns
markjohns
1 month ago

It may be possible for an organisation such as the Free Speech Union, which would arguably have standing, to apply to a court for a declaration that the commission got it wrong and should have found hnh is not charitable.

Willsywoo44
Willsywoo44
1 month ago

It’s Hope not Hate that impeded the launch of GBNews, immediately contacting advertising agencies & persuading them to pull adverts for well-known brands. It continues to do so.
That sort of activity should be made illegal,IMHO.