THE Charity Commission must launch an investigation into political campaigning by the charity Oxfam, former Home Office minister Ann Widdecombe.
She was commenting on the apparent depiction of JK Rowling as an anti-trans activist in a cartoon published by the charity, though Oxfam denies it is the author.
Ms Widdecombe told GB News: “They’ve so departed from that original role, it’s difficult to recognise them. They were set up and they were an admirable organisation. They were set up to relieve poverty, especially in the third world, and that was what they were meant to do, and they were meant to raise funds in order to do that and people give very generously to Oxfam, because they want to help those in most need.
“It’s been happening over a long period of time. First of all, it went very left, and quite noticeably so, and now it appears to be actually actively campaigning over political issues. And the Charity Commission does not allow charities to do that.”
In an interview with Dan Wootton, she continued: “I was involved with a life charity, which is a pro life, anti abortion charity, it was very strict. It had two wings: one wing did the political campaigning, the other wings set up the lighthouses and the care centres and all the rest of it and looked after women.
“The charitable wing was recognised by the Commission. The political wing certainly wasn’t and they could not mix – Oxfam seems to me to be crossing a line.
“It’s time for the whole charity to dissolve, to reform, a different leadership, and just clean up all that is wrong and concentrate on doing what it should be doing, which is helping, not exploiting, helping the poor.”
She added: “Germaine Greer is in their sights, a feminist icon, somebody who really fought for the rights of people. The idea that she would want to suppress people’s human rights is just a complete nonsense.
“I don’t know where it’s come from but I do think it now has to be fought and to be fought properly.”
