Several prominent peers have backed calls for the government to grant the Charity Commission greater powers to clamp down on interference in the UK by the Iranian regime, as experts warn its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is exploiting British charities to “come through the back door”.
Lord Walney, a JC contributor and former government adviser on political violence, held a roundtable event in parliament on Tuesday in collaboration with human rights think-tank Lotus Advocacy, and fellow peers including Lord Pickles.
At the meeting, Kasra Aarabi, the director of IRGC research at non-profit group United Against Nuclear Iran (Uani), explained the proposals, saying: “The network of charities in the UK has been exploited by the Iranian regime, or by individuals and groups in the UK aligned with the regime.
“The question is how this will be tackled. The government has a consultation underway through the Charity Commission to develop new powers to tackle extremism, but it is crucial that we get these powers right.
“A regime like this does not come through the front door; it comes through every single door that is open to it. One of these doors has the respected names of charities.
“At the moment, designation allows one of these doors to remain open. Parliament’s intention, through the Security Committee, was to address the issue of Iranian-funded centres, which are one of the ways the regime expands its operations in the UK.
“Such centres may provide Iranian intelligence agents with a useful base from which to act.
“Today, as the nation leaves the door open, a person convicted of supporting the IRGC is not automatically barred from running a British charity.
“A charity working on behalf of a designated organisation can still carry on operating. Why doesn't designation close that door? There is no restriction.”
He continued: “This is a massively important first step. What we are proposing goes to the core of the problem. The first measure targets those who serve the regime, while the second targets people who use charities to push its agenda forward.
“Right now, the government is drawing up the list of offences that would disqualify someone from running a charity. Espionage is on the list, and foreign interference is on the list. However, supporting, assisting or profiting from a designated organisation is not. That is exactly what we are seeking to address.
“We are asking the minister to ensure that anyone convicted of these offences is unable to serve as a charity trustee.
“We also want to target charities operating on behalf of designated organisations. Where a charity is controlled by, or acts on behalf of, a designated organisation, we should be able to suspend or remove trustees, appoint a new manager, and remove the charity from the register altogether.”
A letter calling for “urgent action” is now being drafted to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Minister for Civil Society Vicky Foxcroft, with a number of cross-party parliamentarians expected to sign it.
Walney told the JC: “The government must create a stronger system that can dismantle the web of influence that IRGC-linked bodies exploit to undermine security and community cohesion in the United Kingdom.
“This new consultation on Charity Commission powers long overdue but welcome and vital. It must deliver stronger rules and more-focused resources to strengthen this soft underbelly that the West’s enemies like the IRGC have been able to exploit for too long.”
Gio Esfandeyari, head of Lotus Advocacy told the JC: “Our aim is to close the legal loopholes that allow the Iranian regime and IRGC to exploit British charities.
“The government must act now to strengthen the Charity Commission’s powers, shut down channels of extremist influence and ensure that no British charity can be used to serve the interests of the Iranian regime. The time for action is now.
“Our parliamentary discussion highlighted that the IRGC is not just a threat to Iranians, but to Britain’s national security and democratic freedoms. We welcome the progress made, but the Government must go further to close legal loopholes, stop IRGC influence and protect our communities.”
Roger Macmillan, Iran and terrorism specialist and former director of security at the UK’s anti-regime Iran International TV, spoke at the meeting on Wednesday.
“Tehran does not need to send more people to Britain when it can already import its own media and influence networks while exploiting our charitable system,” he said.
“Young people are targeted, the Jewish community is targeted and Iranian families who fled the regime are watched, threatened and coerced here. That is a national security problem, and we should treat it as such.”
And British-Iranian human rights activist Hale Blake added: “The Iranian people have suffered brutal repression at the hands of the IRGC, while its threats extend to the Jewish community and wider British public through intimidation, cyberattacks and institutional infiltration. We must close financial loopholes and strengthen legal powers to prevent British charities from being exploited by the regime.”
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