The Electoral Commission has published new guidelines that help to clarify rules governing charity campaigning in the lead up to elections and referendums.

Charities have long called for reform of the Lobbying Act for themselves and other electoral law for non-party campaigners as they constrain their right to campaign.

This has been compounded by the fact that the Electoral Commission’s guidance on what electoral law means for campaigning in the run-up to an election hasn’t been clear or reassuring enough for charities.

As a result, lots of charities think that the rules are more restrictive than they actually are.