Election complaint against Rantzen and NSPCC dismissed

Esther Rantzen and the NSPCC have been cleared of breaking charity rules after a complaint was made alleging money from the child protection charity was going towards the Luton South independent candidate’s election campaign.

The Charity Commission dismissed claims that the NSPCC was paying 50 per cent of Rantzen’s personal assistant’s (PA) salary while the PA was spending more than 50 per cent of their time working on Rantzen’s election campaign.

The commission has decided not to take the matter further after the complaint was not backed with any evidence.

Following the decision, Rantzen told CYP Now: “My only regret is that if anyone had any doubt about my integrity, they should have got in touch with me. I did have a PA working on my campaign. I employed her specifically for that purpose and she was funded entirely by me.

“Myself and the other trustees care a great deal about the reputation of the NSPCC and the great work it does for vulnerable children.”

Rantzen came fourth in the Luton South constituency, which was won by Labour candidate Gavin Shuker.