Lord Lawson’s trustees at his climate science denying charity, the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), are being questioned by the Charity Commission in relation to allegations that a member of its academic advisory board negotiated a donation from an oil company in return for publishing a report praising carbon dioxide, it was confirmed today.

A Charity Commission press officer told DeSmog UK: “We have a case open into the charity and are engaging with the trustees. We can’t comment further at this stage.”

Last December, Professor William Happer, a member of the GWPF’s academic advisory council, was contacted by a Greenpeace investigator posing as a representative from a fictional Middle East oil company.

The Greenpeace investigation revealed Happer agreeing to write and publish a report for the oil company extolling the environmental benefits of carbon dioxide – and keep the funding of the work secret.

Following this, the Charity Commission confirmed it would incorporate these findings into its case on the GWPF, DeSmog UK reported at the time.

However, the Charity Commission has now clarified that the GWPF is not currently under investigation (a term which the commission uses to refer to statutory inquiries).

Rather, it has an open case into the GWPF which is “aimed at ensuring trustees address any failures and weaknesses in their charities’ management.”