A committee of MPs has rejected the government’s choice for the next chair of the Charity Commission, blaming ministers for a “slapdash and unimaginative choice” in selecting the one-time Conservative parliamentary candidate Orlando Fraser.
While the digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) committee said it had no grounds for concern about Fraser as an individual, it had serious reservations about the selection process, including the lack of diversity in the shortlist.
The committee chair, Tory MP Julian Knight, said: “While we recognise Mr Fraser’s potential to do the job, such a slapdash and unimaginative approach to his recruitment means we cannot formally endorse his appointment.”
The failure to endorse Fraser reflects deep frustration in the committee with the government’s chaotic handling of the appointment. The post has been open for more than a year and dogged by allegations of political interference by ministers.
The culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, must now decide whether to disregard the committee and appoint Fraser regardless. The previous commission chair, Tina Stowell, had been rejected by the committee but took up the job after the then culture secretary, Matt Hancock, waved through her nomination.
A DCMS spokesperson defended the appointment, saying the committee had no power of veto, and insisting it was run in line with rules on public appointments. “The DCMS select committee rightly recognises Orlando Fraser’s suitability for the role and we will now consider its report in full and respond in due course.”
But the National Council for Voluntary Organisations said ministers should “carefully consider” the implications of appointing a candidate who did not have parliamentary backing. Alex Farrow, NCVO’s head of networks, said: “We believe it was a mistake not to rerun the appointment process. This would have provided confidence in the process and enabled a more diverse and representative shortlist to have been developed.”
Educated at public school and Cambridge University, Fraser is a white, upper middle-class barrister. He is the son of the late Tory MP Sir Hugh Fraser, and the writer Antonia Fraser. His grandfather was the Labour peer Frank Pakenham.
He stood for the Conservatives at the 2005 general election, and had close links to the right-of-centre thinktank Centre for Social Justice. He told the DCMS committee hearing he was no longer a party member, and had no interest in party politics.
Fraser was not the government’s first choice after being interviewed for the £62,000-a-year job in the autumn. However, he was shortlisted, and when the preferred candidate, Martin Thomas, quit the post days after being approved by the committee in December, Fraser was invited to step in.
Both the committee and the voluntary sector were keen that the appointment process be re-run, not least to ensure that potential candidates could be drawn from wider and more diverse backgrounds. Ironically, ministers had indicated at the time that they had been disappointed at the lack of diversity.
The committee’s report said: “Despite these protestations, [ministers’] resulting candidate, while likely competent, represents yet another archetypal and unimaginative choice from this limited shortlist. We see this as demonstrative of the department’s lack of care, attention, and commitment to quality in this important public appointment.”
Knight called on the DCMS to change its approach to public appointments: “Unless it changes tack, trust in the process will continue to be damaged and we risk missing out on getting the most qualified people from all backgrounds for these very important jobs.”
