Religion and Politics: Is the Religious Right Gaining Ground in British Political Life?

At recent Reform UK media events, a pair of notable heads can often be seen in the forefront: the near-white locks of Danny Kruger and the swept-back blond mane of senior adviser James Orr.

As well as guiding the policy programme for what might become the UK’s next government, the duo have something else in common. Both are highly devout Christian who found religion in adulthood, and hold trenchant views on social issues such as reproductive rights and the traditional family unit.

A Network of Faith

The MP Kruger, who defected from the Conservatives, and Orr, a university scholar, are members of the advisory board of a conservative policy group called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

Another member is Paul Marshall, the investment tycoon who owns GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. He is also a devout Christian.

“Faith, particularly Protestant evangelism, has in recent decades been one of the defining elements of US rightwing politics,” with its adherents forming the bedrock of Donald Trump’s support.

Transatlantic Links

Parallels do exist. Orr is sufficiently close to JD Vance that he has hosted him at his private residence. Orr is also involved in the National Conservatism movement, which has ties to the American faith-based populist world.

But any closer comparisons soon fall down due to a simple matter of scale. While surveys indicate that close to a fourth of US adults are evangelicals, the figure for the UK is about a tenth of that at the very most.

A Different Landscape

There is another important factor to consider. While US evangelicals lean firmly to the right, new polling by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance indicate the broader situation in Britain is markedly distinct.

Research of nearly 1,500 evangelicals places the Labour Party in the lead with 26% support. Reform and the Liberal Democrats are level on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.

Other questions demonstrate backing from evangelicals for more generous welfare payments, but also significant concern about plans to legalise assisted dying.

“Among evangelicals there can be a gap between opinions, particularly regarding social issues, and how people vote,” said one advocacy head. “For example, someone might have a strong opinion on abortion, but they don’t see voting as a way to lead to change.”

Faith Across the Aisle

Evangelism does exist in parliament, including cross-party faith-based meetings. But it is a phenomenon present on the left, with figures like Kruger balanced out by the Lib Dem Tim Farron and the Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

Maskell is explicit about how faith informs her politics, especially concerning issues such as poverty.

“Ethical fairness was ‘a big part’ of the party's ethos,” Maskell argued. “It stems from our foundations, how we think about inequality in society, ensuring we have a fair framework.”

A Newer Strain

There is, however a distinct and more recent side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by American ideas of faith-based nationalism.

Tommy Robinson has begun to portray himself as explicitly Christian, though a lot of this is done as a contrast to Islam.

In a similar vein, Nick Tenconi, who leads the UK outpost of Turning Point, posts social media messaging about the country needing to “re-embrace Christianity” alongside anti-Islam content.

In a dramatic manifestation of this, a Turning Point-allied nationalist Christian group called King’s Army marched in formation through Soho, a location apparently selected as it is the centre of London’s LGBT community.

A Niche Phenomenon

All this remains, however, relatively marginal in UK politics. While critics sometimes portray certain figures as financial backers of American-style religious politics, associates insist they are little more than devout believers who are firmly against any politicisation of faith.

He has been not shy of sometimes unconventional language, for example in an address to censure what he said was a younger generation influenced by a blend of ideologies.

“Here in Britain you do have some Christian nationalists, but when it comes to politics it tends to be a sort of longing for a Christian past, linked to our historical character,” noted an analyst.

One Christian MP with conservative views noted that while the issue of assisted dying had helped bring together MPs with faith, any connections beyond that felt restricted.

“I certainly don’t get the sense of much of an evangelical lobby,” they commented. “In my view, my faith is more a foundation for what I personally hold. And here, religion is not really a decisive electoral issue.”