During recent Reform UK media events, two very distinctive heads can often be seen in the forefront: the pale hair of party policy chief Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of James Orr.
Beyond shaping the political agenda for what might become the UK’s next government, the duo have something else in common. Both are highly devout believer who found religion in adulthood, and hold trenchant views on social issues such as abortion and the traditional family unit.
Connections and Convictions
The MP Kruger, who defected 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.
A further participant is the financier Paul Marshall, the hedge fund millionaire who controls GB News and the conservative Spectator magazine. He is also a devout Christian.
“Religion, specifically Protestant evangelism, 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
Parallels do exist. Orr is personally connected to JD Vance that he has welcomed him at his private residence. Orr is also active in the National Conservatism movement, which has connections to the US religious-populism world.
But any closer parallels soon fall down due to a simple matter of scale. While surveys indicate that close to a quarter of US adults are evangelical Christians, the figure for the UK is roughly one-tenth of that at most.
A Different Landscape
There is another important factor to consider. While US evangelicals lean firmly to the political right, recent surveys 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 tied on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.
Further polling demonstrate support among evangelicals for more generous welfare payments, but also concerted alarm about plans to permit assisted dying.
“Sometimes with evangelicals there can be a gap between personal views, especially on social issues, and how people cast their ballot,” said one advocacy head. “As an instance, someone might have a firm stance on abortion, but they don’t see voting as likely to lead to change.”
Cross-Party Belief
Evangelical belief 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 her beliefs informs her politics, especially concerning issues such as poverty.
“Moral justice was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” she stated. “It stems from our foundations, how we think about inequality in society, making sure we have a just system.”
Emerging Currents
There is, however a distinct and more recent side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by US concepts of religious nationalism.
Tommy Robinson has started to portray himself as openly a Christian, though a lot of this is done as a contrast to Islam.
Similarly, Nick Tenconi, who leads the UK outpost of Turning Point, includes social media messaging about the country needing to “re-embrace Christianity” alongside anti-Islam content.
In a dramatic display of this, a linked Christian nationalist group called King’s Army paraded through Soho, a location seemingly chosen as it is the heart 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, associates maintain they are simply observant believers who are firmly against any political exploitation of faith.
Kruger is not averse to sometimes unconventional language, for example using a speech to censure what he said was a younger generation indoctrinated by a mix of ideologies.
“In the UK you do have a few Christian nationalists, but when it comes to politics it more often be a sort of longing for a Christian past, linked to our historic identity,” noted an analyst.
A parliamentarian of faith on the right noted that while the issue of assisted dying had united MPs with faith, any connections beyond that felt limited.
“I do not get the sense of much of an evangelical lobby,” they commented. “In my view, my faith is more a basis for what I personally hold. And here, religion is not particularly a decisive electoral issue.”
