Cross-party MPs have urged the government to change the status of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) from a UK charity amid fears the organisation could relocate.
Last week, Conservative MP for Basingstoke Maria Miller opened a parliamentary debate on the CPA and why the government “must act now to help secure its future”.
Miller said that CPA’s status is “not appropriate for an association of equals” and “is completely out of kilter with the reality of the organisation”.
CPA, which was founded as the Empire Parliamentary Association in 1911 and registered as a charity in 1971, is headquartered in the UK and supports parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth.
CPA’s status ‘not appropriate for association of equals’
Speaking on behalf of CPA UK executive members and politicians supporting the work of the charity, Miller said the organisation is “at a turning point and needs the UK government to act now to help secure its future”.
“In the UK, only the government can change the status of the CPA from a local UK charity to a bespoke international inter-parliamentary organisation, because the government need to allocate parliamentary time to allow a short piece of primary legislation to be passed,” she said.
“It has for many years been acknowledged that the CPA’s status as a UK charity is not appropriate for an association of equals. The CPA membership includes parliamentarians from South Africa to Singapore, Ghana to Guyana and Canada to Cyprus, and all are equal members of the organisation, which is one of the oldest Commonwealth organisations.
“Its status as a UK charity is completely out of kilter with the reality of the organisation’s work. The CPA was founded back in 1911 to promote the advancement of parliamentary democracy, but continuing to be a UK charity today simply reinforces an outdated vision of the Commonwealth and the UK’s place in it.”
Miller said that a change in status would allow the charity “to more effectively serve its members, removing damaging frictions caused by an inappropriate status, making clear that all members are on an equal footing, to reflect the modern view of the Commonwealth, and representing the CPA’s own principles of equality and diversity”.
UK risk losing CPA’s secretariat
Theo Clarke, Conservative MP for Stafford and a member of the CPA’s executive committee, said that CPA “as a charity is limited in its ability to carry out certain activities that promote democracy, human rights and democratic values and protect the rights and privileges of parliamentarians”.
“That is because, as we know, restrictions on charities prevent them from pursuing political purposes. The CPA has also been unable to sign up to certain international statements and communiqués because of its charitable status. We have been unable to join other international organisations in speaking out against events in Commonwealth countries.
“Recent examples include the unlawful imprisonment of parliamentarians, not being able to speak out about the treatment of parliamentarians, and the situation over the Rohingya. Those examples show exactly why we must change the CPA’s status. I recently met the CPA secretary general, and he is fully supportive of the status change.”
Clarke added that if the UK does not make that change, “the CPA headquarters will relocate to another Commonwealth country” and the UK could “lose the opportunity of having more than 50 Commonwealth parliaments turning to the UK parliament for advice, guidance and best practice and to uphold parliamentary democracy.
“The CPA relocating from the UK would damage the UK parliament’s relationship with other Commonwealth parliaments,” she said.
“We currently do not have diplomatic status or international recognition. It is important that we change that as soon as possible, which can be achieved by turning us into an international interparliamentary organisation.”
Government: ‘We’re committed to finding acceptable solution’
In response, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, minister of state in the foreign, commonwealth and development office, said that the government is “absolutely committed to finding a mutually acceptable solution so that we can ensure the CPA does not have to relocate”.
“The foreign secretary wrote to the secretary-general of CPA International on the issue of the organisation’s status on 21 March 2023. He acknowledged that the status question is complex, but he was clear that he does not wish to see CPA International have to relocate. He committed the FCDO to working with CPA International to find a solution that is acceptable to all sides, including through legislative means if possible and necessary.
“Since then, FCDO officials have been in discussion with CPA International to understand the need to vary its present charitable status and to consider how best to address these concerns. Although this work is ongoing, important progress has already been made.”
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