A controversial refugee charity is today blasted by a watchdog over 'serious misconduct and mismanagement' involving its disgraced founder.

According to a Charity Commission report on Care4Calais, the organisation which delivers aid to migrant camps, had an 'unhealthy reliance' on Clare Moseley and there was 'inappropriate blurring of the lines' as she served as both chief executive and a trustee.

She 'dominated' Care4Calais and went 'unchallenged for some time', controlling its finances and even having £340,000 paid into her personal bank account in an attempt to save money on foreign exchange fees.

And when a complaint was made against her, it was investigated by her sister Sarah Wing – a fellow trustee.

This was 'in breach of the complaints policy' and the charity 'failed to identify or manage the conflict of interest and/or loyalty which arose', the commission said. Since at least early 2020, Care4Calais did not have the required three trustees but the exact date could not be established as proper records were not kept.

According to a Charity Commission report on Care4Calais, the organisation which delivers aid to migrant camps, had an 'unhealthy reliance' on Clare Moseley and there was 'inappropriate blurring of the lines' as she served as both chief executive and a trustee

She 'dominated' Care4Calais and went 'unchallenged for some time', controlling its finances and even having £340,000 paid into her personal bank account in an attempt to save money on foreign exchange fees

The 53-year-old, who first hit the headlines when she had a relationship with a Tunisian migrant, quit Care4Calais this year amid allegations she had used pepper spray on a refugee in self-defence and threatened to drag a female volunteer out of a room 'by the f****** hair'.

But today's findings reveal that she in fact stepped down in a row over who should hold the power when a new board was appointed to turn the charity around. Orlando Fraser KC, chairman of the Charity Commission, said: 'Our inquiry found that, over a significant period of time, and following a rapid expansion of its operations, Care4Calais was not managed well.

'Its funds were put at risk, and there was serious misconduct and/or mismanagement by the former trustees.'

But he added that the watchdog's intervention had led to 'significant improvements' with new leadership.

The report gave Care4Calais the green light to continue opposing the Government's flagship policy of deporting migrants to Rwanda. It found some 'deficiencies in relation to risk assessments and the reporting of incidents for its Calais based operations'.

But the charity insisted 'it does not support, encourage, or facilitate illegal border crossings'.

The commission has 'advised the charity to make this explicitly clear in all its policies and procedures and training materials for staff and volunteers'.

Care4Calais charity with donations ready to hand out to migrants in France

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: 'The Charity Commission finding serious misconduct at Care4Calais is concerning but not particularly surprising. 'As with certain immigration lawyers, it's clear that some charities and civil society groups are actively undermining efforts to curb illegal migration.

'They form part of an establishment committed to ever increasing migration, with no regard for the will of the British people.

'These groups are comprised of politically motivated activists masquerading as 'humanitarians'. It is a con. But the British public won't be fooled.'

Tory party deputy chairman Lee Anderson branded Care4Calais a 'shambles' and an 'embarrassing stain on the record of real charities'. New chief executive Steve Smith insisted their new board of trustees 'have taken the criticisms of previous governance shortcomings seriously, and are dedicated to learning from the past'.

Last night Ms Moseley said in a statement: 'I am proud to have worked many long hours as an unpaid volunteer to grow Care4Calais from a grassroots project to a charity that now has a £2million turnover and over £1million in assets. I always followed the advice of our lawyers, accountants and auditors in the running of Care4Calais.'