Lord Evans also called for the role to be strengthened in primary legislation so ministers could not abolish the watchdog or limit its powers if they objected to its actions. On Thursday, Jonathan Evans, the chair of the committee on standards in public life, cited concerns about ministers “seeking to pack assessment panels with majorities of political affiliates” and called for the commissioner for public appointments to be consulted on all panellist choices. Ministers have also been embroiled this week in a scandal over sleaze and attempts to undermine the independent parliamentary standards watchdog. This year, the regulator cleared the National Trust of breaching its charitable objectives in examining links between its properties and histories of colonialism and slavery, including Winston Churchill’s house at Chartwell.Ĭharity bosses hit back, saying: “The commission must be above party politics.” The Tory party co-chair Oliver Dowden last month caused anger when he pledged to pick a new chair for the Charity Commission who would “reset the balance” after Dowden said some charities had been “hijacked by a vocal minority seeking to burnish their woke credentials”. It comes amid growing concern that the government is seeking to “rebalance” the boards of public bodies – particularly in the arts, heritage and broadcasting sectors – by appointing allies and blocking critics, in part to help it fight “ culture wars”. The regulator also stepped in twice to demand changes to the panel selecting potential candidates to chair the Office for Students, which regulates universities. The regulator has described such breaches as “threatening to undermine the independent status” of a role intended to bring “challenge and rigour” to finding appointable candidates for selection by cabinet ministers, including the prime minister.