MPs have approved a new chair of the charities watchdog but criticised the way the search “became subject to allegations of political interference” as well as a lack of diversity. The Commons culture select committee approved Martin Thomas, an insurance and financial services professional and experienced charity trustee, as chair of the Charity Commission following a pre-appointment hearing on Thursday. However, while the committee welcomed Thomas’s appointment, it said it was “regrettable” that the process had been drawn out and mired in controversy around alleged attempts by ministers to influence the process. The former culture secretary Oliver Dowden caused controversy when he wrote a Sunday Telegraph article in September saying ministers would only choose a candidate who could show they would use the commission’s power to pursue charities which stray into so-called “woke” and “political” activities. Dowden’s article came days before interviews for the commission chair took place and triggered a legal challenge from the Good Law Project, which argued that ministers were unlawfully trying to control the commission chair. There had been widespread concern that ministers would seek to appoint a partisan figure who would pursue an agenda aligned with the government’s, but MPs welcomed Thomas’s commitment to maintaining the independence of the commission. Thomas has no declared political activity. Thomas said in the pre-appointment scrutiny hearing he believed the commission should stay as far as possible out of debates about “wokeness”. He also said he did not believe charities were “too political” and there was no need to change existing rules governing their political activity. The committee said the government should have “worked harder to ensure a more diverse pool of candidates applied for the role”, although it noted that ministers had also expressed disappointment at the lack of diversity among candidates.
There were 37 applications for the £62,500-a-year role. Of the 36 that filled in a diversity monitoring form, nine were female, six were black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) and one was disabled. Of the seven who went forward to interview, one was female and one BAME. Thomas, who was educated at a public school and has a classics degree from Oxford University, told MPs he wanted charity boards to be more diverse. Being a trustee was “something for everyone”, he said, and should not be regarded solely as “an extra feather in the cap” for the middle class. Thomas has more than 20 years of experience in insurance and financial services, and worked at the Bank of England and the European Central Bank. He has chaired several charities, including the Forward Arts Foundation, which runs National Poetry Day. In confirming his appointment, the committee praised Thomas’s skills, experience and temperament, adding that he “demonstrated a sound awareness of the challenges of the sector”.