​Watchdog cautions refugee charity for breaching strict political campaigning rules

Scotland’s charity regulator has reprimanded a Dundee charity for backing an SNP politician in the run up to May’s General Election.

Dundee the Caring City, which supports refugees and asylum seekers, erected a banner from its office in support of SNP MP Chris Law.

In response to a complaint, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) said the banner breached strict political neutrality guidelines.

The complaint was made after it was alleged one of the charity’s trustees, Michael Strachan, was personally backing Law and had helped him set up his constituency office.

Charity law in Scotland permits political campaigning as long as it not party political or shows undue bias towards a political party.

The Sunday Times reports that an email to the complainant from OSCR said: “We have assessed that displaying signs outside the charity encouraging people to vote for the SNP candidate and including the initials ‘SNP’ after an individual’s name on social media postings are regulatory issues for OSCR.

“We have contacted the charity trustees to make them aware of our regulatory concern and of their duty as charity trustees to act in the interest of the charity and ensure that the charity is, and is seen to be, independent of party politics.”

A spokesman for Dundee the Caring City, said: “We welcome OSCR’s findings and its decision to make no further inquiries and to close the matter.”