BBC Breakfast guest on exact amount Captain Tom's family profited and misled public

The family of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore has come under fire after a watchdog reported they had benefited financially from their links to The Captain Tom Foundation, a charity established in the wake of the pandemic. It was found that Sir Tom's daughter and her husband gained "significant" monetary benefits in connection with the charity, which was scrutinised by the Charity Commission.

The commission highlighted "repeatedly failures of governance and integrity" after examining the foundation.

Captain Sir Tom Moore became an iconic figure during the Covid-19 crisis, raising nearly £39 million with his challenge to walk 100 lengths of his garden before turning 100 years old, endearing himself to the nation and sparking an extraordinary wave of donations. His efforts were recognised with accolades including the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, partaking in a number-one music single, and he was knighted by the Queen in July 2020.

Sir Tom passed away at the age of 100 in February 2021, having contracted Covid-19.

The Captain Tom Foundation, overseen by Hannah Ingram-Moore, aged 53, and Colin Ingram-Moore, aged 66, was founded to honour Sir Tom's legacy but soon attracted controversy leading to investigations by the Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator. Initially, the commission opened a compliance case in March 2021 before upgrading it to a statutory inquiry - indicative of severe concerns - in June 2022, reports the Mirror.

Following its thorough investigation, the report issued by the watchdog criticises the involvement of Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore.

The report found that there were multiple instances of misconduct by the couple, who have already been banned from acting as charity trustees. The report highlighted a "repeated pattern of behaviour" of "misconduct and/or mismanagement" by the pair.

David Holdsworth from the Charity Commission discussed the report on BBC Breakfast on Thursday morning, stating that the public 'will be rightly feeling misled' by Captain Tom's family. He said: "I think the public will be rightly feeling misled. I think everyone got behind Captain Tom and I think we all remember during the pandemic the smile he brought to all our faces. It reminded us of what service to others can actually achieve"

Speaking about the misconduct, David added: "What we have found is a pattern of behaviour and there was a consistent blurring of the lines between the private benefits of the family and the interest of the charity - and they simply weren't managed."

David also revealed the exact amount Captain Tom's family profited, saying: "There was a £1.4m book deal. Our view was because of the marketing around it - because of Captain Tom's own words in the prologue, we thought it would benefit the foundation. The public would rightly of expected some of that money to go to the charity. However, it didn't.

"There was also an £18,000 payment to Mrs Ingram-Moore for attendance at an award ceremony. The charity only got a £2,000 donation. The trustees were unaware of that deal and agreement. If they had of been, they could have perhaps negotiated a better deal," the BBC Breakfast guest concluded. It comes after it was revealed that sales of Captain Tom's autobiography 'Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day' did not directly benefit The Captain Tom Foundation, despite him writing in the foreword about being given "the chance to raise even more money for the charitable foundation now established in my name."

Instead, a significant advance of £1.4m for a three-book deal went to Club Nook, where the Ingram-Moores are directors.

Literary agent Bev James indicated the couple were "very clear" in their intentions for the funds not to go to charity. To date, The Commission noted that "the charity has not received any money from the first publishing agreement," leading to calls on the couple to make a "suitable donation" to "honour the commitment that Captain Tom stated in the foreword" to his book.