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Smith Institute, a left-leaning think tank connected to Chancellor
Gordon Brown, is under investigation by the Charity Commission,
following an alleged breach of the rules preventing charities
from acting party politically.
A brief statement from the Commission said the decision
to open an enquiry into the Institute, set up in 1997 in
memory of former Labour leader John Smith, was taken in
the light of “new information we have received which
raises concerns about some of the charity’s work”.
“The scope of the inquiry is to determine whether
The Smith Institute is both established and operating as
a charity advancing the education of the public in the field
of study and research into the economy of the United Kingdom”
the statement added.
The investigation is believed to have been prompted by
a seminar held by one of the Institute’s subsidiaries,
SI Events, at which a speaker was critical of Conservative
Party leader David Cameron.
The Smith Institute said it was fully cooperating with
the inquiry.
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