National Trust is ‘facing questions over its purpose’ by charity regulator after being accused of ‘virtue signalling’ by insisting volunteers wear LGBT badges to tweeting it’s historic links to slavery
- Trust sparked a woke row after tweeting details about buildings’ links to slavery
- Dozens vowed to cancel their membership because of charity ‘virtue signalling’
- Regulator now looking at whether the Trust has breached its charitable objects
The charity regulator has warned the National Trust it could face an investigation over its ‘purpose’, amid claims it has strayed too far from its remit of preserving historical buildings and treasures.
The Trust sparked a woke row earlier this year after tweeting details about artefacts and buildings’ links to slavery – as dozens vowed to cancel their membership because of ‘virtue signalling’.
It also previously forced its volunteers to wear both gay pride badges and rainbow lanyards to support LGBT causes.
Twitter users blasted the UK-based charity for ‘lecturing’, ’emotional blackmail’ and ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ as some claimed the set of tweets ruined any enjoyment they once had for visiting its country estates.
Winston Churchill’s former home, Chartwell, in Kent, was among the Trust’s properties listed in its mea culpa over previous links to colonialism and slavery – a move which Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden described as disappointing.
Winston Churchill’s former home, Chartwell, in Kent, was among the Trust’s properties listed in its mea culpa over previous links to colonialism and slavery
Now, the Charity Commission is looking at whether the Trust has breached its charitable objects, with chair Baroness Stowell of Beeston (pictured) telling the Telegraph it was right to be facing questions, claiming it was ‘important’ it didn’t ‘lose sight’ of what its 5.6 million members expected
Back in 2017, volunteers accused the charity of trampling on their rights by making them wear gay pride badges to mark 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
And more recently, bosses have come under fire after announcing they are to axe nearly 1,300 jobs as they battle the impact of Covid.
Now, the Charity Commission is looking at whether the Trust has breached its charitable objects, with chair Baroness Stowell of Beeston telling the Telegraph it was right to be facing questions, claiming it was ‘important’ it didn’t ‘lose sight’ of what its 5.6 million members expected.
Complaints from members of the public over its controversial review into links between the properties and slavery sparked an approach from regulators and a formal probe could follow in the coming weeks.
Lady Stowell said: ‘The National Trust has a very sort of clear, simple purpose, which is about preserving some of our great historic places and places of great beauty and national treasure.
‘What people expect of the National Trust is that they focus on that purpose, they don’t lose sight of that. And when they do things which somehow seem to some of their supporters, some of the people that they’re relying on… they shouldn’t be surprised if that leads to questions and criticisms.’
Officials from the commission were first in touch with the charity a fortnight ago after complaints were first made.
While a statutory inquiry is not likely, the body does have various powers to take action against the Trust, including ordering it not to commission other similar reports or providing an official warning.
A spokesman for the charity told the Telegraph it always answers commission questions with ‘full transparency’ and said it was not aware of any formal action being taken.
