Not deterred by three failed attempts, the opaquely funded Restore Trust is making its annual attempt to take over one of Britain’s best-loved institutions.

Voting is now open for the National Trust’s (NT) Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held in Newcastle on Saturday, November 2, 2024. The Trust’s 6 million members have until October 25 to cast their vote for resolutions and select their preferred candidates for the NT council. But once again, a sinister force is at play, and our much-loved National Trust faces a fresh battle with right-wing insurgents who aim to present Europe’s largest conservation charity as cake-and-countryside radicals.

Not deterred by three failed attempts, the opaquely funded private organisation known as Restore Trust, is making its annual attempt to take over one of Britain’s best-loved institutions, opposing what it calls the Trust’s “trendy and divisive ideologies.” Founded in 2021 following the National Trust’s report on the historical ties of 93 of its sites to slavery, Restore is backed by opaque funding sources. Its former director, Neil Record, a millionaire and Tory donor, also funds the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a Tufton Street think tank.

The group also has the backing of the right-wing media, which have provided it with a platform for its many false claims, including so-called vote-rigging and “cancelled Easters.” But despite such high-profile media support, Restore’s efforts to infiltrate the charity have been futile so far. In 2022, it failed miserably to take control of the Trust, when none of its candidates were elected to the council. A year later, the group launched another attempt, led by former director Zewditu Gebreyohanes, who declared the mission was to “rescue” the Trust from “wokery.” Once again, their candidates were rejected, despite support from prominent figures, including Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Now, Restore Trust is back with a new campaign, urging members to vote for another slate of candidates. This time, it has also criticised the National Trust’s “Quick Vote” system, introduced in 2022 to simplify the voting process. Restore claims, without evidence, that this system has introduced “significant biases” and undermines the integrity of the elections.

If you value the National Trust, a vital conservation charity that manages 250,000 hectares of land across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, protects 780 miles of coastline, and preserves over 500 historic houses, castles, parks, and gardens, members are encouraged to vote for the candidates recommended by the Trust to prevent a right-wing minority from seizing control and influencing its future direction.

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