Nigel Farage & former charities minister among MPs calling for FCA fines to go to hospices
Melanie May | 17 October 2024 | News
Nigel Farage and former charities minister Stuart Andrew are among MPs calling on the government to donate the first £100 million in annual Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fines solely to the hospice sector.
The MPs have all signed a petition from Box Power CIC asking the government to make this decision. It has now gathered more than 36,000 signatures and has also been backed by more than 30 hospices. Box Power CIC is also calling for more MPs to sign the petition.
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Voicing his support for the campaign, Nigel Farage MP said:
“The hospice sector is in desperate trouble, and every single one of us at one point will need to avail ourselves of it. I think [funding hospices with fines] would be a decent, magnanimous gesture and way of them saying sorry.”
Current supporters include Sir Christopher Chope MP for Christchurch, Dr Simon Opher MP for Stroud, former charities minister Stuart Andrew MP for Daventry, John Milne MP for Horsham, Ayoub Khan MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, Sir Desmond Swayne MP for New Forest West, Paul Kohler MP for Wimbledon and Luke Taylor MP for Sutton & Cheam.
Of the petition, John Milne MP said:
“MPs need to work together on a cross-party basis for a solution to this funding crisis as our need for hospice care also increases.”
Ayoub Khan MP added:
“Our hospices are at breaking point, and the government must step in and help them continue their vital work. While recognising that there is much progress to be made thereafter, I endorse the hospices’ proposal to designate money raised from FCA fines as a welcome first step.”
Hospices backing the petition include: Birmingham Hospice, Hope House and Ty Gobaith, Derian House Children’s Hospice, Hospice at Home West Cumbria, Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland, and Rowcroft Hospice.
Corin Dalby, CEO of Box Power, said:
“There are hundreds of millions in annual FCA fines which go into the government pot and generally as a result of an injustice to the UK people who may benefit from the services offered by hospices. There is no better way to complete the circle by allocating these funds to the UK hospice sector.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.