Charities Bill vote
In a nutshell
A vote on whether to amend the Charities Bill in order to maintain the presumption that religious charities provide public benefit.
The details
The Charities Bill was said to remove the presumption that religious charities provide public benefit, meaning that religious charities would have to justify their public benefit before being granted charitable status.
On 25 October 2006 MPs debated an amendment to the Bill tabled by Ann Widdecombe MP that would have explicitly preserved the presumption. Andrew Turner MP, the Conservative spokesman on the Bill, introduced the amendment and gave it his strong support.1Miss Widdecombe pointed out that the presumption had served the country well and indicated her concern that the public benefit test would be biased against religious groups with unfashionable moral beliefs.2 Ed Miliband MP, minister on the Bill, promised the Bill would not narrow the range of religious activities that are considered charitable and that a religious charity would not be disqualified because of its views on sexual ethics.3 Cabinet Office Minister Hilary Armstrong confirmed that proselytism would still be deemed to have public benefit.4 The amendment was defeated by 341 votes to 163. Labour and the Liberal Democrats whipped against the amendment, and the Conservatives and the DUP whipped in favour of the amendment. Senior Liberal Democrat, Alan Beith, spoke in favour of the amendment and voted for it, despite his own party’s opposition.5
The Bill was given royal assent on 8 November 2006. The most relevant aspects of the Charities Act 2006 (relating to the public benefit test and the powers of the Charity Commission) came into force in 2008.
How we recorded the vote
- Voted for keeping the presumption that religious charities provide public benefit
- Voted against keeping the presumption that religious charities provide public benefit
- Abstained or was absent on the vote for keeping the presumption that religious charities provide public benefit