Tory governments introduced gagging clauses
UK Government ministers will restore relations with the voluntary sector including the right to protest after it was eroded during the previous Tory rule.
The new civil society covenant, announced this week by Prime Minister Kier Starmer, aims to protect civil society independence and rights, and commits the government and charities to continue to engage respectfully even where they disagree on policy.
It will include charities and campaign groups in helping design and fulfil economic growth and tackle social problems.
The covenant is built on four principles: recognition and value; partnership and collaboration; participation and inclusion; and transparency and data.
Under the previous Tory government, charities criticised what they termed censorship by default, where those delivering public services had to effectively sign gagging clauses - preventing them from speaking out against the UK Government.
However, Starmer said at the covenant’s launch that the government would not shut charities out, no matter their stance.
He added: “Nor am I interested in slogans that sound very good, but end up being gimmicks for the government to simply hide behind.
“I believe that good relationships need to be honest relationships. We won’t blindside you with public attacks like the last government did.”
In one example under the previous Tory government, Citizens Advice in England signed a £21 million contract which included a “gagging clause” that prevented it bringing the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) “unfairly” into “disrepute”.
An FOI request in 2023 showed that the advice charity agreed not to take any actions that “unfairly bring or are likely to unfairly bring DWP’s name or reputation and/or DWP into disrepute”.
Starmer continued: “These are issues where politicians have often chosen to sow division, instead of bringing people together to fix the problem. We know the damage that does to our communities.”
“Most of all, this is about rebalancing power and responsibility. We said we’d deliver together, and we will, to build a society of service bound together by our common purpose, and finding new pride in our country and our communities.”
The commitment was welcomed by civil society leaders.
Jane Ide, the chief executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, said: “This is an essential part of a healthy democracy and speaking truth to power is central to the role of civil society.”
