At recent the Reform party media events, a pair of notable heads can often be seen in the front row: 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 could be 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 trenchant views on social issues such as reproductive rights and the family.
Connections and Convictions
The MP Kruger, who switched allegiance from the Conservatives, and Orr, a university scholar, are members of the advisory board of a conservative policy group known as the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.
Another member is Paul Marshall, the hedge fund millionaire who owns GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. Marshall is a devout Christian.
“Religion, specifically evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been a key characteristic of American conservative politics,” with its adherents providing the core of Donald Trump’s support.
Cross-Over Connections
There are some links. Orr is sufficiently close to the US Vice-President that he has welcomed him at his family home. Orr is also active in the NatCon movement, which has connections to the American faith-based populist world.
But any closer comparisons soon fall down due to a basic issue of scale. While polling shows that nearly a fourth of US adults are evangelicals, the figure for the UK is roughly one-tenth of that at most.
A Different Landscape
An additional important factor to take into account. While US evangelicals tilt strongly to the political right, recent surveys by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance suggests that the broader situation here is quite different.
Research of nearly 1,500 evangelicals places the Labour Party in the first place with 26% support. Reform and the Liberal Democrats are level on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.
Further polling demonstrate support among evangelicals for more generous welfare payments, but also significant concern about plans to legalise assisted dying.
“Among evangelicals there can be a dissonance between opinions, particularly regarding social issues, and how people vote,” explained a representative. “For example, someone might have a firm stance on abortion, but they do not view voting as likely to lead to change.”
Faith Across the Aisle
Evangelism is present in parliament, including cross-party prayer group meetings. But it is a phenomenon present on the left, with figures like Kruger countered by the Lib Dem Tim Farron and the Labour Party Member of Parliament Rachael Maskell.
Maskell is very open about how faith shapes her politics, notably on issues such as economic disadvantage.
“Moral justice was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” she stated. “It’s part of our foundations, how we think about inequality in society, ensuring we have a fair framework.”
A Newer Strain
Nonetheless, there exists a distinct and more recent side to religion in UK politics, one more closely modelled on American ideas of religious nationalism.
Tommy Robinson has begun to present himself as openly a Christian, although much of this is done as a contrast to Islam.
In a similar vein, Nick Tenconi, who leads the UK branch of the Turning Point group, posts social media messaging about the country needing to “re-embrace Christianity” alongside anti-Muslim content.
In a dramatic manifestation of this, a linked nationalist Christian group named King’s Army marched in formation through Soho, a location apparently selected as it is the heart of London’s LGBT community.
Limited Influence
These elements remain, however, fairly niche in UK politics. While critics sometimes portray certain figures as wealthy incubators of American-style religious politics, friends maintain they are little more than observant believers who are strongly opposed to any political exploitation of faith.
He has been not averse to sometimes unconventional rhetoric, for example in an address to condemn what he said was a younger generation influenced by a mix of ideologies.
“Here in Britain you do have some Christian nationalists, but when it comes to politics it more often be a sort of Christian nostalgia, linked to our historical character,” said one commentator.
A parliamentarian of faith on the right observed that while the issue of assisted dying had helped bring together MPs with faith, any links beyond that felt limited.
“I certainly don’t get the sense of much of an evangelical lobby,” they commented. “For me, my faith is more a basis for what I already believe. And here, religion is not particularly a vote winner.”
