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STORY

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory class inquiry into concerns about charities working in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. The fact-finding investigation will initially examine eight charities identified through information recently submitted to the regulator, although their names have not been published.

The Commission will investigate whether charitable funds or other resources have been used in the settlements, the purposes of any expenditure and whether the spending furthered the organisations’ stated charitable purposes. It will also assess whether charity assets or beneficiaries are at risk and whether regulatory action is required.

The regulator stressed that opening the inquiry did not amount to a finding of wrongdoing and said the number of charities covered could be expanded. Information about the concerns has been shared with the police and HM Revenue and Customs, while a report will be published after the inquiry or relevant stages of it have concluded.

STORY

The Government has said that a public inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s activities in the United Kingdom is not being actively considered. The clarification followed comments from victims minister Alex Davies-Jones, who had told the BBC that Prime Minister Andy Burnham was looking into the possibility of holding an inquiry.

The Ministry of Justice said the Prime Minister remained committed to meeting victims but that no public inquiry was currently under active consideration. The statement exposed a difference between the minister’s description of the position and the subsequent formal response issued by the department.

British police are already examining a number of allegations linked to Epstein and his associates, including alleged child sexual abuse, the trafficking of women through British airports and possible misconduct in public office. The Government said its thoughts remained with those who had survived abuse connected with Epstein.

STORY

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has defended the selection of Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a candidate for Somerset Council despite his previous convictions for hate offences. Bonehill-Paine was convicted in 2015 of racially aggravated harassment of the then Labour MP Luciana Berger and was also imprisoned for stirring up hatred against a Jewish community in north London.

Badenoch said his past conduct had been appalling but argued that he had rejected his former views and demonstrated rehabilitation through work connected with the Prevent anti-radicalisation programme. She said the election was for a local authority role involving matters such as parking and bins, rather than a national political platform.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council declined an invitation to meet Bonehill-Paine and called on the Conservatives to withdraw his candidacy. Berger said there was a major distinction between explaining why earlier conduct was wrong and seeking public office, describing what happened to her as a sustained campaign rather than isolated remarks.

STORY

The Government’s Sovereign AI fund has invested in OLIX, a British company developing computer chips for artificial intelligence systems. The equity investment forms part of a nine figure fundraising round and makes OLIX the fifth business backed by the state venture fund since the programme was launched.

OLIX is based in London and has offices in Bristol. The company is developing chips intended to make AI processing faster, cheaper and more energy efficient. The Government said the company had achieved a valuation exceeding $1 billion, placing it among the United Kingdom’s newly established technology unicorns.

Ministers said the investment was intended to strengthen domestic capability in advanced semiconductors and retain more of the employment and economic activity associated with AI infrastructure. Sovereign AI was established to take stakes in selected British companies considered capable of scaling internationally. The value and detailed commercial terms of the Government’s investment in OLIX were not disclosed in the announcement.

STORY

Severn Trent Water has agreed payments totalling £2,277,424 to environmental charities following Environment Agency investigations into pollution incidents in the West Midlands. The money is being provided through two enforcement undertakings, which allow the regulator to accept restoration, prevention and financial commitments for certain environmental offences.

More than £1.8 million will go to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, including £1.5 million relating to unauthorised sewage discharges from Blackminster Wastewater Treatment Works into Broadway Brook in June and August 2022. A further £327,424 relates to a breach of an ammonia permit condition at Cheltenham Hayden Wastewater Treatment Works in 2021.

Severn Rivers Trust will receive £450,000 for projects intended to improve river environments. Severn Trent must also meet the Environment Agency’s costs and carry out measures to prevent recurrence or repair harm. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust plans to use part of its funding for work including the Severn Treescapes project, which supports tree planting and restoration at sites across the region.