A major row broke out over claims a senior government aide threatened to "shut down" foodbank charity the Trussell Trust
There was fury this week over allegations that a senior Westminster figure had threatened to "shut down" foodbank charity The Trussell Trust.
It has been claimed that Conservative MP Andrew Selous, an aide to work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, told trust chair Chris Mould that the government might try to close the charity because of its anti-poverty campaigning.
Mould alleged that the remark was made in anger during a private conversation – something Selous has denied.
It's crucial for the voluntary sector to be able to comment on aspects of legislation which could impact on the lives of thousands of low income families
The row erupted after the encounter was mentioned in evidence given to the panel on the independence of the voluntary sector in England and Wales.
Mould said: "This was somebody telling me something which was probably being conveyed to me as a message from ministerial level. It was said in anger… [it] exposes the way in which people in the political world think [which] is quite often private, quite often secret, quite often slightly malevolent, with intent".
Labour has demanded that Duncan Smith "urgently establish" what was said.
Ewan Gurr, the Trussell Trust's Scottish development officer, said: "It's crucial for the voluntary sector to be able to comment on aspects of legislation which could impact on the lives of thousands of low income families."
SNP MSP Kevin Stewart said: "That the UK government thinks it is acceptable to threaten a charity in this way simply for pointing out the consequences of the government's austerity agenda is absolutely appalling – and is a grim insight into Westminster's attitude to the work of foodbanks.
"The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has already been caught out making false statements about the work of the Trussell Trust to the welfare reform committee – but to threaten to shut down a charity because it disagrees with the UK Government line is a new low even for the DWP.
"People across Scotland recognise the vital work the Trussell Trust is doing in helping to clean up the UK government's mess – the DWP's attitude towards the charity only highlights how out of touch Westminster actually is."
The row comes at an increasingly fraught time for relations between the coalition government and the voluntary sector.
A Tory MP complained to English regulator the Charity Commission over a recent Oxfam anti-poverty campaign.
