Photo: Howard Lake

The government has launched a public consultation on proposals to strengthen the Charity Commission for England and Wales’s powers to tackle extremist abuse of charities, including automatically disqualifying people convicted of specified hate-related offences from serving as charity trustees or senior managers.

The 10-week consultation, from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), invites views from charities, trustees, sector bodies and the public. It closes on 22 December 2026.

What is being proposed

Under the proposals, anyone convicted of specified hate-related offences would be automatically disqualified from acting as a charity trustee or senior manager. This would extend existing rules that already apply to people convicted of terrorism and other serious offences.

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The Charity Commission would also gain new discretionary powers to disqualify individuals where there is evidence that they have promoted violence or racial or religious hatred. DCMS says the measures were developed jointly with the Commission, drawing on its casework experience of where current rules fall short.

The consultation will ask how the powers should operate in practice, including how they can protect charities while safeguarding legitimate debate, campaigning and freedom of expression.

Civil Society Minister Vicky Foxcroft said:

“Our proposals would strengthen the safeguards around charities while protecting legitimate debate and campaigning. We want to hear from charities, trustees and the wider public on our plans so that we get them right in practice.”

The Charity Commission’s view

David Holdsworth, CEO of the Charity Commission, said lawful freedom of speech is fundamental to any democracy and that robust debate and differences of opinion have always been features of the charity sector. He added that there is no place in the sector for the promotion of violence or racial or religious hatred, and that the Commission’s powers must keep pace with changing threats.

DCMS says that since October 2023 the Commission has opened more than 400 cases examining potential wrongdoing in charities in the context of the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, and made more than 80 referrals to the police where it considered that a criminal offence might have been committed.

The consultation is part of the government’s wider Protecting What Matters action plan to strengthen protections against extremism, and the government says it is continuing to work with the Commission on what further powers may be needed in future. A summary of responses and the government’s response will be published after the consultation closes.

How to respond

The consultation is on GOV.UK. Responses can also be emailed to ch********@******ov.uk.

• UK government plans new powers to close charities that “promote violence or hatred” (9 March 2026)