The Charity Commission is investigating a complaint about Amazing Graze, founded by Mark Butcher, Reform UK candidate in the Blackpool South by-election.
The complaint concerns Butcher’s use of the soup kitchen’s facilities in his by-election campaign.
On 4 April a message on Facebook from Mark Butcher For South Shore included the text “The campaign start[sic] now Saturday” at Amazing Graze.
On 6 April, a Facebook post from Butcher4Blackpool shows him shaking hands with Reform UK leader Richard Tice at Amazing Graze, with Reform UK publicity to the side.
A Channel 4 news report on 11 April features Butcher at Amazing Graze talking about the work of the soup kitchen, with a box of Reform UK rosettes and stickers prominent in one shot.
On 12 April, a further Facebook post from Mark Butcher For South Shore invites people to join him as he “hits the campaign trail”. It gives the address as 44 Bolton St, the address both for Amazing Graze and Pizza Grazie, the pizzeria Butcher founded.
Charity Commission guidance says charities can take part in political activity that “supports their purpose and is in their best interests”. However, it adds that charities “must remain independent and must not give their support to a political party”.
Charities can rent out facilities to a candidate for a public meeting but as a “normal commercial hire”, unless the trustees decide to charge a different rate.
However, the charity “must not encourage support for any particular parties or candidates”.
The complainant writes to the Charity Commission that Butcher has been “using his social media page and premises for political meetings, political campaigning and numerous high profile figures from the Reform Party have been holding news interviews from the charity premises”.
In a statement to The Blackpool Lead, a Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We have an active compliance case into Amazing Graze to assess concerns raised about support for a political candidate, and are engaging with the trustees.”
The spokesperson added that a charity cannot support a political party or candidate.
Abbie Butcher, secretary and safeguarding officer of Amazing Graze, told The Blackpool Lead the charity has stayed independent and has never advocated voting for Reform UK.
She said Reform UK has rented available space for the by-election campaign to replace Scott Benton on 2 May and is purchasing pizzas, all of which is supported via invoices.
She referred to Charity Commission guidelines for renting facilities and said Amazing Graze would have welcomed any party offering a service fee to use its building.
She said the 6 April event with Tice was a Q&A session open to the general public with all political stances, adding: “From what I was informed this included people for and against this party.”
She said the Charity Commission guideline that a charity “may publish the views of candidates in local and national elections where these views relate to the charity’s purposes” supported Amazing Graze’s concerns about the “neglect for South Shore and the zero support we receive from the local council”.
Mark Butcher resigned as an Amazing Graze trustee immediately after the Charity Commission’s communication with the charity, his spokesperson told The Blackpool Lead.
He remains a volunteer for the charity.
He did this “despite legal advice stating that this was unnecessary”, said the spokesperson, adding: “He did this to protect the reputation of the soup kitchen and its activities in helping the poor and homeless in Blackpool.
“It was not required because at no point has Amazing Graze supported Mr Butcher’s candidacy.
“Pizza Grazie has donated a table for the use of his campaign that will be registered in the election expenses as is required under compliance regulations.
“Through Amazing Graze Mr Butcher has, in the past decade, provided over 250,000 hot meals for those most in need in Blackpool and South Shore.”
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