Russell-Cooke’s webinar, ‘Navigating political campaigning for charities ahead of the 2024 general election’, has been covered in an article published by Civil Society.
Chaired by charity law and not-for-profit partner Pippa Garland, the webinar provided advice to charities on strategic campaign preparation, as well as outlining the legal and regulatory framework, while sharing insights into the landscape of charity engagement in political campaigning from a panel of experts.
The article, authored by Sam Waits, describes charities’ experience of feeling under threat for their stance on policies central to the upcoming general election.
Guest speakers, who included Sonya Sceats of Freedom from Torture and Clare Laxton, a communications consultant for the charity sector, discussed the challenges of campaigning in the run up to an election, citing the risk of being perceived as party political and the steps charities can take to adhere to electoral rules while continuing to campaign effectively.
The author describes how the current Government’s Rwanda scheme, opposed by all other major political parties, has brought this balancing act into sharp focus. While charities such as Freedom from Torture was one of 251 organisations that wrote to prime minister Rishi Sunak this week after his Rwanda bill passed through the House of Lords, charities must take care not to encourage voters to cast their vote one way or the other.
The full article can be found here, and the video page here. The webinar can also be viewed below.
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