The Charity Commission has ruled that a pro-Brexit report from the Legatum Institute crossed a line and “may be seen as promoting a political view”. They asked the institute to remove the report from their website.

Every day Guido gets reports and policy papers from the likes of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Resolution Foundation which promote more taxpayer spending on welfare, more redistribution and more taxation. Never do they suggest that supporting traditional family structures, tackling delinquent fathers or cutting taxes and letting parents keep more of their earnings to spend on their own families would be an alternative path to promoting the welfare of families. Never.

The Charity Commission said of Legatum’s report

… to be consistent with the charity’s object to advance education, a report of this nature should make clear that a desired outcome of free trade is only one of a number of the potential political outcomes that might be sought. It should present balanced, neutral evidence and analysis explaining why it has chosen to adopt a free trade perspective over others.

So the next time a report from a left-wing charity doesn’t make clear that throwing more benefits at families is only one of a number of potential political outcomes that might promote the welfare of families, Guido will be on to the Charity Commission demanding the report is withdrawn in favour of something more balanced and neutral. That seems to be the precedent…