National Trust faces watchdog scrutiny into its Empire report
The National Trust’s difficulties over a report linking its properties with slavery and colonialism have deepened after the charity regulator opened an official case to see if it broke its “specific purpose” to preserve Britain’s history.
The Charity Commission confirmed that it had a “regulatory compliance case into the National Trust following concerns being raised with us about its slavery and colonialism report”.
The 125-year-old charity was criticised by Tory MPs and its own members over its 115-page report into the links between its properties and slavery and colonialism, which included references to Winston Churchill last September.
A Commission source told The Sunday Telegraph: “We have met with the charity and [it] has provided us with relevant information. We cannot provide a timescale for when this work will be complete”.
A “regulatory compliance case” falls short of a formal investigation. If the regulator finds wrongdoing it can issue formal regulatory advice or use a power such as an official warning.
John Whittingdale, the culture minister, warned that the Government would be “watching closely”. Mr Whittingdale told Tory MP Andrew Murrison in a letter that the Commission’s case into the Trust would allow it “to better understand how it considers its report on links to slavery and colonialism helps further its specific purpose to preserve places of beauty or historic interest, and what consideration the trustees gave to the risk that the report might generate controversy.”
Conservative MPs last night welcomed the Commission’s decision. James Sunderland, a member of the Common Sense group, said: “I have watched with horror how the National Trust has sought to adopt an increasingly apologist stance for our past.
“This may just be indicative of divisive elements in the organisation with a political agenda, but they do not speak for me, nor the vast majority of people in the UK who are proud to be British.”
A National Trust spokesman said: “The National Trust is independently run. We are a charity. Exploring and sharing the history of places we look after is part of our job and completely within our charitable objectives.”