On the day Parliament voted to trigger June’s general election, the Electoral Commission announced that it had fined Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace for breaking campaigning rules during the last general election in 2015.
The two organisations, fined £1,000 and £30,000 respectively had fallen foul of the Lobbying Act, dubbed when it was introduced in 2014 to deal with corporate lobbying excesses as the “gagging law” by concerned campaigning charities.
Greenpeace incurred its fine for failing to register with the Electoral Commission in what it called a deliberate act of civil disobedience, while and Friends of the Earth was fined for being late in registering.
Defending the decision, the Electoral Commission said, “Non-party campaigners are vital to a healthy democracy and we encourage their active participation during campaign periods; however, where a significant amount of money is being spent on campaigning it is right that voters can see who is spending that money and what they are campaigning for. The Commission supports all campaigners by producing a range of materials to help ensure compliance with the law.”
Meanwhile Friends of the Earth, while paying the fine and explaining that its late registration was due to an administrative error, stated that the legislation was “overly complex” and “unworkable.” Greenpeace UK’s executive director, John Sauven, went further, saying, “Sometimes legislation is just wrong and you have to stand up and say so. That’s why we decided to oppose this illiberal law in an act of civil disobedience. The Lobbying Act is a democratic car crash, it weakens democracy and curtails free speech."
Concerns about the chilling effect on charity campaigning was raised again by Lord Hodgson, commissioned by the government to review the act, but none of his recommendations, including one about snap election campaigns like the one we are in now, have been adopted. The House of Lords’ recent report on charities reiterated calls for the Hodgson’s recommendations to be implemented.
Meanwhile, police investigations into alleged Tory election expenses irregularities in 2015 continue …