A report is calling on charities to develop cross sector partnerships to protect democracy in the UK.

Charities are being called on to take a leadership role and work with a raft of organisations, including other civil society organisations and those in other sectors, in raising awareness of the importance of democracy.

The call has been made in a report by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMF) and Civil Exchange in response to “cumulative threats over more than a decade to vital elements of our democracy” in the UK.

Their report calls on charities to “build alliances withing and beyond civil society and work with others to create a shared vision” for tackling threats to democracy.

“It is possible to find common ground across political divides on big issues like integrity, accountability, and transparency,” says the report.

Research by @SMKcampaigners & @CivilExchange identified numerous threats to the vital elements of our #democracy – those that enable people to have a voice, amplify that voice to decision-makers, and help hold politicians to account. 🧵👇https://t.co/yKNZS35FrL pic.twitter.com/maGXpCofO0

— Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) (@SMKcampaigners) August 2, 2023

‘In the run up to the next election, all political parties need to step up and commit to policies that will protect those precious aspects of UK democracy that enable people, and those who represent them, to have a voice and a say,” said SMF chief executive Sue Tibballs.

“Too many people already feel they’re not listened to by their elected representatives, that their everyday concerns are ignored, and that they lack control. Attacks on the ability of charities to campaign and raise issues with the government or restrictions on the right to peaceful protest can only make this worse.”

Civicus, which monitors democratic trends worldwide, this year put the UK on the same alert as Poland, Hungary, and South Africa.

SMF and Civil Exchange researchers carried out more than 30 interviews and staged further consultation events with charity sector representatives for their report.

One who was surveyed said: “We’re really, really concerned. I think the top line is that, if you join up the dots between the various things that are happening, you have what amounts to a very serious threat to democracy itself.”

Another told researchers: “If a charity wants to do the right thing, the space to do so is much more constrained and the capacity to push, test, and make mistakes is restricted now… We have consciously agreed a ‘speaking out strategy’… because we do want to preserve our voice on key issues.”

Threats to democracy

Threats mentioned in the report include curbs on peaceful protest through this year’s Public Order Act and 2022's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act as well as concerns that government ministers are creating laws that cannot be amended by parliament or be effectively scrutinised by MPs.

The ‘chilling effect’ of 2014’s Lobbying Act is also cited as threat to democracy. Another is attempts by ministers in 2020 to curtail the independence of museums and galleries to curate their own exhibitions.

Reduced access to legal aid and an increase in costs for charities seeking judicial reviews on government decisions are also mentioned in the report.

“Successive UK administrations have shown a loss of integrity and respect for the law and democratic institutions, eroding transparency, accountability and trust,” added Civil Exchange director Caroline Slocock, who co-authored the report.

“Some politicians and commentators are even portraying judges, lawyers, charities, campaigners and parts of the media as a block to democracy, rather than vital elements of it.

“We’re calling on charities to create a broad coalition of interests across the political spectrum and sectors to defend and re-imagine a democratic space where people’s voices count and our democratic institutions are truly accountable.”

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