The Charity Commission’s new chief has come under fire from senior Tory MPs for what they perceive as ‘partisanship’. The criticism stems from his social media activity, where he praised hard-left politicians and made derogatory comments about Boris Johnson.
Mark Simms OBE was appointed as the interim head of the charity watchdog by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. He is also considered a contender for the permanent chief position.
Days before his formal appointment last month, Mr Simms deleted his X account, which had a following of thousands.Â
But an analysis of his tweets still available in Internet archives reveals he holds partisan views and interests.
Charity bosses are expected to be politically neutral and must declare their political affiliations before being appointed.
One particular tweet from 2020 has sparked controversy, in which Mr. Simms lauded the hard-left US Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, describing her as a “brilliant woman” who “smashed it.”
His post was made after Ms Omar gave an interview about casual racism. At the time, the US House Representative was mired in a row over alleged anti-Semitic comments and had been kicked off the US’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
The new chief of the Charity Commission has been criticised by senior Tory MPs for ‘partisanship’ after he praised hard-left politicians while mocking Boris Johnson on social media. Mark Simms OBE (pictured) was appointed the new acting head of the charity watchdog by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and is thought to be in the running to become its permanent chief
Pictured: Minister for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy arrives in Downing Street for a Cabinet meeting on April 8, 2025
Also in 2019 Mr Simms praised the then Labour MP and now Women’s Minister Jess Philips. In a tweet he said: ‘I don’t care what anyone says, @jessphillips is a bloody good constituency MP. She’s passionate and purposeful and puts country before self.’
However, Mr Simms mocked former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a tweet carrying misogynist overtones.
In a 2019 post, Mr Simms tweeted ‘ditch-slapped’ above a graphic mocking Mr Johnson’s declaration that he would rather be found ‘dead in a ditch’ than delay Brexit.
The term ‘ditch-slapped’ rhymes with ‘bitch-slapped’, a sexist term which usually means striking someone to assert superiority over them.
Mr Simms will formally begin as interim chief next week (25th) but Tory MPs have criticised his apparent political bias at a time when the Commission is under fire for delays in probing various Islamic charities accused of anti-Semitism or having links to Iran.
In one tweet in 2020, Mr Simms praised controversial hard-left US Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (picture), saying in a tweet: ‘This brilliant woman… smashed it’
Mr Simms mocked former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured) in a tweet carrying misogynist overtones
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: ‘When we’ve got charities accused of links to the Iranian regime and spreading extremism the work of the Charity Commission must be beyond reproach.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: ‘There can be no signs of bias or activism, the task is too important. It’s this kind of thing which erodes public trust in the fairness of our institutions.’
Former Tory Minister Liam Fox added: ‘It is essential that those policing the system are acting in our national interest, not promoting their own political agenda.’
Last night the Charity Commission defended Mr Simms, saying that he made the standard declarations during his appointment, which included that he had no ‘significant political activity’ in the past five years.
A spokesman said: ‘The Charity Commission is fair, balanced and independent in its regulation of charities. Mark has been a member of the Board for two years and has a very clear understanding of the role and its responsibilities.’
The criticism of Mr Simms comes amid condemnation of the watchdog for failing to take action against charities accused of spreading extremism.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick (pictured) said: ‘When we’ve got charities accused of links to the Iranian regime and spreading extremism the work of the Charity Commission must be beyond reproach
Last month the government’s former extremism tsar Lord Walney said the quango should be broken up if it failed to get a grip with several high-profile cases running for years.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission, accused of being aligned with the Iranian regime, has been monitored since 2017 over its funding model.
Another, the Islamic Centre for England, has had four directors named as the UK representative of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and boasts assets of more than £4 million.
In December, it was reported that the Dar AlHekma Trust and the Abrar Islamic Foundation have possible links to the Iranian regime and are under police investigation. They deny any allegations of wrongdoing but continue to enjoy charitable status.
The Charity Commission confirmed there was an ongoing investigation into the Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust.Â
The Islamic Centre of England is subject to an ongoing statutory inquiry, while the Abrar Islamic Foundation and Dar AlHekma Trust are both subject to ‘ongoing regulatory compliance’ probes.
