National Trust defends right to campaign on
nature amid ‘pressure’ from lobby group
Restore Trust wants its members elected to the
charity’s governing council to rid it of its ‘woke agenda’
Ben Quinn,
Political correspondent and Helena Horton
Mon 2 Oct
2023 16.29 BST
The
National Trust has raised concerns about “political pressure” and defended its
right to lobby on nature amid a renewed campaign by a self-styled “anti-woke”
group seeking to recruit Conservative MPs to its cause.
The
leadership of the UK’s largest charity is facing a fresh challenge at its
annual meeting next month from the right-leaning Restore Trust group, whose
candidates tried but failed to win seats on the National Trust’s 36-strong
governing council last year.
The
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg and the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage have
shared social media attack adverts this year linked to the Restore Trust
campaign.
A veteran
Tory party activist, who ran campaigns for Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, has
also sent out invitations to join a WhatsApp group set up for MPs and peers.
Restore
Trust opposes what it describes as a “woke” agenda – including National Trust
displays about slavery and historical figures – and has said it wants to steer
the charity “back to its core purpose of looking after our heritage and
countryside”. It has endorsed five candidates who are standing for election to
its council.
Most
prominent among the Restore Trust-backed candidates is the former supreme court
judge Jonathan Sumption.
As members
of the charity prepare to cast their votes in the governing council election,
the National Trust spoke of its concern about the role of paid Restore Trust
adverts on Facebook and their dissemination by political figures on social
media.
“Our
governance depends on independent citizens who are free from political
influence, acting collectively in the best interests of this charity,” a
spokesperson said. “Any political campaign to influence the governance of an
independent charity would be concerning, and we are not the only charity coming
under political pressure.
“We are
aware of [Restore Trust’s] attempts to organise support among MPs. We trust our
members will make up their own minds, and vote in the best long-term interests
of the National Trust and the nations we serve.”
At an event
at the Conservative party conference this week, the National Trust’s director
general, Hilary McGrady, also defended its right to oppose policies, such as
the government’s plans to scrap pollution rules for housebuilders, that would
harm nature.
McGrady
herself has faced personal attacks online for her defence of nature. “I’ve got
very thick skin these days,” she told the Guardian, adding: “But to be really
clear, the National Trust was founded to actually look after green space.”
She said:
“All the way through our 128 years we have very consistently campaigned for the
protection of the countryside as well as our houses and of course we don’t
really see a distinction because our houses sit on our landscapes.”
In the
run-up to the trust’s next AGM, political figures have received emails from
Andrew Kennedy, a former Conservative campaigner for Truss, Johnson and others,
inviting them to sign up to briefings and join a Restore Trust WhatsApp group
so social media graphics can be shared.
“There are
over 5 million National Trust members eligible to vote: the challenge is
identifying and sharing the message,” he wrote in an email. “The support of
respected and influential individuals to help share out message will be key to
our success.”
In a post
on Facebook where he invited councillors to join, Kennedy said he was working
with Restore Trust, which he said was led by a group of longstanding National
Trust members “who are concerned that the NT has abandoned its original remit
and is now, like much of the charitable and third sector, pursuing a
politically motivated ‘revisionist’ agenda”.
The
National Trust AGM takes place on 11 November in Swindon. While the charity
continues to find itself in the eye of a “culture war”, polling last week by
the thinktank More in Common found that public confidence in the charity rose
in the past year.
More than
70% of 2,000 adults polled said they trusted the National Trust, up seven
points on last year. The same number regarded the organisation as a force for
good, ahead of schools, the military and other sectors.
Attempts
were made to contact Restore Trust and Kennedy for comment.
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