During recent Reform UK press conferences, a pair of notable heads can often be spotted in the front row: the pale hair of party policy chief Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of senior adviser James Orr.
As well as guiding the policy programme for what might become the UK’s next government, the pair have something else in common. Both are highly devout Christian who came to religion in adulthood, and possess trenchant views on matters of society such as abortion and the family.
Connections and Convictions
The MP Kruger, who switched allegiance from the Conservatives, and Orr, a university scholar, are members of the steering committee of a conservative policy group called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.
Another member is Paul Marshall, the hedge fund millionaire who owns GB News and the conservative Spectator magazine. Marshall is a devout Christian.
“Faith, particularly evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been one of the defining elements of American conservative politics,” with its adherents forming the bedrock of a particular political support.
Cross-Over Connections
Parallels do exist. Orr is sufficiently close to JD Vance that he has hosted him at his family home. Orr is also active in the NatCon movement, which has ties to the US religious-populism world.
However, direct parallels quickly break down due to a simple matter of numbers. While surveys indicate that close to a fourth of US adults are evangelicals, the proportion for the UK is roughly one-tenth of that at the very most.
The UK Evangelical Vote
There is another important factor to take into account. While US evangelicals lean firmly to the political right, recent surveys by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance indicate the broader situation here is markedly distinct.
A poll of nearly 1,500 evangelicals places Labour in the first place with 26% support. The Reform party and Liberal Democrats are level on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.
Other questions reveal backing from evangelicals for more generous welfare payments, but also significant concern about plans to legalise assisted dying.
“Sometimes with evangelicals there can be a dissonance 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.”
Cross-Party Belief
Evangelical belief is present in parliament, including all-party faith-based meetings. But it is a reality also of the left, with figures like Kruger countered by Tim Farron and the Labour Party Member of Parliament Rachael Maskell.
She has been very open about how faith informs her politics, notably on issues such as poverty.
“Ethical fairness was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” Maskell argued. “It stems from our roots, how we think about inequality in society, ensuring we have a fair framework.”
Emerging Currents
Nonetheless, there exists a different and newer side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by US concepts of religious nationalism.
Tommy Robinson has started to present 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 the Turning Point group, posts social media messaging about the country needing to “re-embrace Christianity” combined with anti-Muslim content.
One striking display of this, a linked Christian nationalist group named King’s Army paraded through Soho, a location apparently selected as it is the heart of London’s LGBT community.
A Niche Phenomenon
All this remains, however, fairly niche in UK politics. While commentators sometimes portray certain figures as financial backers of US-style evangelism, associates insist they are simply observant believers who are firmly against any politicisation of faith.
He has been not averse to occasional off-piste rhetoric, for example using a speech to condemn what he said was a younger generation influenced by a mix of ideologies.
“In the UK 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 observed that while the issue of assisted dying had helped bring together MPs with faith, any links beyond that felt restricted.
“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 already believe. And here, religion is not particularly a vote winner.”
