Tories face Charities investigation

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Following a complaint by a LabourList contributor, Stephen Newton, the Charity Commission has launched an inquiry into the status of the Atlantic Bridge, a charity whose main activity appears to be the sponsorship of predominantly private events at which senior Conservatives – including shadow cabinet ministers – and their US allies may bond behind closed doors.

Now the Atlantic Bridge has cancelled its reception at this year’s Conservative Party conference where, ‘members of the Shadow Cabinet [were to] be joined by a prominent American leader.’

Newton says:

“This is a bitter blow to the organisation, which has been denied the chance to defy health secretary Andy Burnam’s call to ban anti-NHS Tories from the Manchester event.”

Founded in 1997 by Dr Liam Fox, current shadow defence secretary, the Atlantic Bridge registered as a charity in 2003. Newton says that in order to become a charity the trustees submitted a quite different set of objectives from those stated elsewhere. Most importantly, these objectives make no reference to the Conservatism and idolisation of Thatcher that actually defines the Atlantic Bridge.

Stephen’s complaints have now also been picked up by the Guardian, Third Sector and Left Foot Forward websites.