A new government minister was branded "way off the mark" after he urged charities to stay out of politics and stick to knitting.

Brooks Newmark, appointed minister for civil society in the last reshuffle, criticised charities that "stray" into politics and said they should instead concentrate on helping people.

He spoke amid growing fears among charities that the new Lobbying Act will restrict their ability to campaign on controversial issues.

Mr Newmark said: "We really want to try and keep charities and voluntary groups out of the realms of politics. Some 99.9 per cent do exactly that. When they stray into the realm of politics that is not what they are about and that is not why people give them money."

Charities criticised his remarks, and said they were "surprising".

A spokesperson for Bond, the UK membership body for NGOs working in international development, said: "We disagree with the Minister's comments. If it wasn't for our members campaigning and engaging in politics, we wouldn't have seen the progress we have on issues that matter to people and communities in the UK and around the world, like banning landmines, ending the unpayable debt of developing countries, or securing a historic commitment to ensure 0.7 per cent of our national income goes towards overseas aid.

"We'll continue to support our members to campaign on the root causes of the issues that matter to their work on the ground and continue to play their important non-partisan role in a healthy, vibrant democracy. We hope the minister will be a voice within government that protects civil society space to do that."

Laura Taylor, head of advocacy at Christian Aid, said: "We find the Minister's comments surprising and way off the mark about the sector that he now represents. Charity law already ensures that charities cannot be party-political, but is clear that organisations like Christian Aid have a mandate to speak out about social injustice wherever it is found. Indeed we know it is our duty to do so."

Mr Newmark clarified his remarks, and said he had meant that charities should stay out of party politics not general campaigning. He said: "Charities, with all their expertise, have an important role to play in helping to shape government policy. While they have the right to campaign they should stay out of the realm of party politics."