Farage accuses Hope Not Hate of ‘conflict of interest’ over Makerfield leaflets

The Reform UK leader has written to the Charity Commission chief to ask “what action” he will take against a charity linked to the group.

Hope Not Hate Limited is a registered as a non-party campaigner with the Electoral Commission.

It is not a charity but has links to the separate Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust.

Hope Not Hate released a statement claiming Mr Farage’s “complaint is a transparent attempt to distract from legitimate scrutiny of its candidate in Makerfield”, Robert Kenyon.

In his letter to Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth, Mr Farage described “numerous reports of Hope Not Hate sending leaflets to addresses” in the Greater Manchester constituency.

Photographs of these leaflets, on Hope Not Hate-headed paper, have circulated on social media.

The organisation appeared to describe the June 18 poll as a “two-horse race” between Labour’s Mr Burnham and Mr Kenyon, and tell voters that Mr Burnham’s “call for a re-industrialised and decentralised Britain – one where wealth and power are no longer concentrated in Westminster and London – is a vital step forward”.

Hope Not Hate did not deny it had sent the leaflets in its statement.

Mr Farage referred to official guidance which set out charities can promote their views on issues which relate to their purposes, but it warned “the charity must steer clear of explicitly comparing its views (favourably or otherwise) with those of the political parties or candidates taking part in the election”.

The Clacton MP also said: “The tone and content of the leaflet is clearly directed towards persuading the reader to vote for a particular candidate, and the text in the footer, ‘to join the local fightback against Reform, please scan the QR code’, is party political.”

According to papers on the Charity Commission’s website, Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust, formerly known as Hope Not Hate Charitable Trust, gave Hope Not Hate Limited a grant of £787,858 during 2024.

Mr Farage also noted that among the charity’s trustees are Labour MP for Smethwick Gurinder Singh Josan and Labour peer Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway.

He said the situation represented “a clear breach of the Charity Commission’s regulations”.

A Hope Not Hate spokesperson said: “Hope Not Hate exists to challenge hate and extremism, and to expose those who promote racism, intolerance and division in our politics.

“Voters have a right to know what candidates seeking their support have said and done.

“Reform dismissed their candidate’s comments as ‘locker room banter’ and fully backed him. Voters can judge that for themselves.

“Hope Not Hate Limited is supporter-funded and registered with the Electoral Commission as a third-party campaigner.”

Any grants the group receives from the charitable trust are “ringfenced for charitable and non-political work”, according to the organisation’s statement.

It read: “These grants are not used to fund electoral campaigning.”

Hope Not Hate previously published extracts from Mr Kenyon’s social media, including his reaction to another person’s post which featured graphic sexual language about the TV presenter Carol Vorderman.

Alongside a thumbs up and a laughing emoji, the plumber wrote: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking.”

Vorderman told The Mirror on Monday evening that she wanted an apology from Mr Kenyon.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We are currently assessing concerns relating to Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust to determine if there is any role for the commission as charity regulator.”

The Makerfield by-election candidates are: Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats), Count Binface (Count Binface Party), Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative Party), Dan Clarke (Libertarian Party), John Dyer (independent), Ed Gemmell (Climate Party), Paul Gould (independent), Howling Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party), Rob Kenyon (Reform UK), Robert Pownall (independent), Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain), Sarah Wakefield (Green Party), Peter Ward (Rejoin EU Bring in PR) and Michael Winstanley (Conservative).