🔗 Share this article

During recent the Reform party press conferences, a pair of notable heads can often be seen in the forefront: the near-white locks of Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of senior adviser James Orr.

As well as guiding the political agenda for what might become the UK’s next government, the pair share another trait in common. Both are deeply committed Christian who came to religion in adulthood, and possess strong opinions on social issues such as abortion and the family.

Connections and Convictions

The MP Kruger, who defected from the Conservatives, and Orr, a Cambridge academic, also sit on the advisory board of a rightwing thinktank known as the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

Another member is Paul Marshall, the investment tycoon who controls GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. Marshall is a practising Christian.

“Faith, particularly Protestant evangelism, has in recent decades been one of the defining elements of US rightwing politics,” its followers forming the bedrock of a particular political support.

Cross-Over Connections

There are some links. Orr is personally connected to JD Vance that he has hosted him at his family home. Orr is also involved in the NatCon movement, which has connections to the US religious-populism world.

But any closer parallels soon fall down due to a basic issue of numbers. While polling shows that close to a quarter of US adults are evangelical Christians, the proportion for the UK is roughly one-tenth of that at most.

A Different Landscape

An additional crucial element to consider. While US evangelicals lean firmly to the political right, new polling by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance suggests that the broader situation in Britain is markedly distinct.

Research of nearly 1,500 evangelicals shows Labour in the lead with over a quarter backing. The Reform party and Liberal Democrats are level on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.

Further polling reveal support among evangelicals for increased welfare payments, but also concerted alarm about plans to permit assisted suicide.

“Sometimes with evangelicals there can be a gap between opinions, particularly regarding social issues, and how people cast their ballot,” said one advocacy head. “For example, someone might have a firm stance on abortion, but they don’t see voting as a way to lead to change.”

Faith Across the Aisle

Evangelical belief does exist in parliament, including cross-party prayer group meetings. But it is a phenomenon present on the left, with figures like Kruger balanced out by Tim Farron and the Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

She has been explicit about how her beliefs informs her politics, especially concerning issues such as poverty.

“Ethical fairness was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” she stated. “It’s part of our foundations, how we think about inequality in society, making sure we have a fair framework.”

A Newer Strain

Nonetheless, there exists a distinct and more recent side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by US concepts of religious nationalism.

The activist Tommy Robinson has begun to present himself as explicitly Christian, although much of this is done as a counterpoint to Islam.

Similarly, Nick Tenconi, who leads the UK outpost of Turning Point, posts social media messaging about the country needing to “re-embrace Christianity” combined with anti-Muslim content.

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

Limited Influence

All this remains, however, relatively marginal in UK politics. While commentators sometimes portray certain figures as financial backers of US-style evangelism, friends maintain they are simply observant believers who are strongly opposed to any political exploitation of faith.

Kruger is not shy of occasional off-piste language, for example in an address to condemn what he said was a younger generation indoctrinated by a mix of ideologies.

“In the UK you do have some Christian nationalists, but when it comes to politics it more often be a sort of longing for a Christian past, linked to our historical character,” said one commentator.

A parliamentarian of faith with conservative views observed that while the issue of assisted dying had united MPs with faith, any connections beyond that felt restricted.

“I do not get the sense of much of an evangelical lobby,” they said. “For me, my faith is more a foundation for what I already believe. And here, religion is not particularly a vote winner.”