10 February 2023 , 22:02
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A charity for victims of Britain's Cold War radiation experiments is facing claims and counter-claims of financial irregularities, discrimination and rule-breaking.
The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association fired its CEO, Ceri McDade, on the grounds of gross misconduct after an internal investigation found evidence of 32 "misdemeanours", including her blocking trustees from using the bank account.
Mrs McDade denies all the allegations, and claims to be the victim of sexual harassment, and discrimination on the grounds of age, sex and disability.
She said: "I'm going to sue each of them individually, and seek a settlement agreement."
A spokesman for the Armed Forces Covenant Trust confirmed that a £100,000 grant to the BNTVA has been put on hold because "the organisation is facing some challenges", and reassurances are being sought.
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Mrs McDade posted on Twitter a picture of her taken with Johnny Mercer at the announcement of a medal, which had followed a four-year Mirror campaign she had previously refused to supportThe Mirror can reveal that under Mrs McDade's leadership, the BNTVA launched a two-year legal fight against nuclear veteran Doug Hern, about the return of papers it believes to be its archive. The cost of the case is expected to exceed £37,000, with payments totalling £17,290 already made to lawyers.
The frail 86-year-old, of Spalding, Lincolnshire, has been left suicidal after the row, which included reporting him to cops who later agreed no crime had been committed. He is now receiving care from a psychiatrist.
A BNTVA source said: "At the moment we've got no money, and outstanding bills we weren't aware of. It looks like we've been committed to paying for things we can't afford. We can't give answers at the moment because a lot of it we don't know ourselves."
Nuclear veteran Eric Barton hugs Air Vice-Marshal Maria Byford after hearing he will finally be awarded a medal for service at the weapons tests (PA)Trustees are now in a tussle with HSBC over access to the bank account, which has been inaccessible for months after an online security breach.
Mrs McDade, 49, of Brecon, became chairman of the charity in 2020, with her husband John as treasurer. Records show that for the year ending in September 2020, the charity had an income of £146,000, much of it from Covid loans.
Yet by November last year, the main account held just £2,400. Mrs McDade says she no longer has access to it, but believes it now holds £25,000. Some may be 'restricted funds' given for a specific purpose, which cannot be used for general spending.
Complaints began soon after Mrs McDade took over, and a Freedom of Information request established that a dozen people contacted the Charity Commission during the period of her leadership to express concerns about the charity.
In January 2021, Mrs McDade ended BNTVA co-operation with the Mirror's 40-year campaign for justice for the test veterans. Later that year, she was replaced as chairman by Ed McGrath, 86, of Surrey, and she became part-time CEO, paid from a £20,000 grant by the Veterans' Foundation.
Bank statements reveal that between October 2021 and November last year, Mrs McDade was paid £2,538.37 and claimed a further £8,044.30 as expenses.
The statements show that although on March 25, April 25, and May 25 payments to Mrs McDade of around £850 were all listed as "pay", subsequent payments for similar amounts on June 25, July 25, and August 25 were listed as "expenses".
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Mrs McDade confirmed to the Mirror that they were all salary, and that she receives Universal Credit. When asked by the Mirror if she had declared all of them to the Department for Work and Pensions, she said: "Of course I did."
Last June then-PM Boris Johnson met nuclear veteran campaigners, MPs and the Mirror to discuss the medal and other forms of recognition. (Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing Street)In November 2021, Mrs McDade signed a letter on behalf of the charity to Boris Johnson, saying it did "not believe it is appropriate to lobby the government to intervene" over a medal for nuclear veterans while it was under consideration by a Whitehall committee, which later refused it.
Six months later, in May 2022, she emailed Labour leader Keir Starmer, Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, and BNTVA patron Sir John Hayes to say it was "simply unthinkable and morally wrong" for a meeting to go ahead with nuclear veterans, the Mirror and the PM, without the charity present.
Last November, the medal was approved by King Charles, but attempts by veterans to contact the BNTVA about it brought no response. Some complained that items from the online shop were paid for but not posted, and grieving families seeking the charity's official coffin drape for veterans' funerals say they were ignored. Dozens of family members have also complained about being blocked by Mrs McDade from the BNTVA official accounts on social media.
There are allegations that an ex-trustee's details were used to log in to the charity's bank account, which caused an "online security breach" and access was suspended. No-one at the BNTVA knows how much money it now contains.
The Prime Minister listens as test veteran John Morris demands justice, in a crucial Parliament meeting. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing StreetMatters came to a head in December when trustees sought outside advice, and last month, after a two-week investigation, Mrs McDade was called to a disciplinary hearing. She asked for a delay and did not attend, but denied all 32 allegations. She was fired on January 28.
Mrs McDade told the Mirror she reported the security breach to the bank, made herself the primary user of the account only while trying to add other trustees to it, and before that "I didn't see that bank account once".
She insisted there was "nothing wrong" with her husband being treasurer while she was an employee and "there's no law against it". She added: "You're trying to throw this onto me like that bunch were, and the reality that's going on if you're talking governance is the board of trustees having a problem with that. They put him as treasurer."
Asked if it was not her role, when she was chairman, to oversee the trustees, she said: "There was a lot to sort out in that time."
Nuclear veteran Brian Unthank led a contingent of veterans, widows and children at the official Remembrance Day parade at the Cenotaph (Daily Mirror)Mrs McDade said she had split from her husband and was now using her maiden name of Marsh. She said she was proud of her time at the BTNVA, and when asked which was the best bit replied: "I'll come back to you on that."
The Charity Commission confirmed it was helping the BNTVA in a dispute about trustees, and was "assessing further concerns". A spokesman said: "We are aware of potential governance concerns at the BNTVA and are assessing the information to inform our next steps, including whether there is a role for the commisson."
A spokesman for the BNTVA said: "We're trying to save the charity, and focusing all our efforts on unpicking the mess. Until we have access to the bank account we can't say what's going to happen."