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During recent Reform UK media events, a pair of notable figures can often be seen in the front row: the pale hair of party policy chief Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of senior adviser James Orr.

Beyond shaping the political agenda 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 abortion and the family.

A Network of Faith

Kruger, an MP, who switched allegiance from the Conservatives, and Orr, a Cambridge academic, also sit on the advisory board of a rightwing thinktank called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

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

“Religion, specifically evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been a key characteristic of American conservative politics,” its followers providing the core of a particular political support.

Transatlantic Links

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 involved in the National Conservatism movement, which has connections to the American faith-based populist world.

However, direct comparisons soon fall down due to a simple matter of numbers. While surveys indicate that close to 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 crucial element to consider. While US evangelicals tilt strongly to the political right, recent surveys by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance suggests that the wider picture here is quite different.

A poll of nearly 1,500 evangelicals shows 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 increased welfare payments, but also concerted alarm about plans to legalise assisted dying.

“Among evangelicals there can be a gap between personal views, particularly regarding social issues, and how people cast their ballot,” explained a representative. “For example, someone might have a firm stance on abortion, but they do not view voting as a way to lead to change.”

Faith Across the Aisle

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

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

“Ethical fairness was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” she stated. “It’s part of our roots, how we think about inequality in society, ensuring we have a just system.”

Emerging Currents

Nonetheless, there exists a different and newer side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by American ideas of faith-based 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 branch of Turning Point, includes social media messaging about the country needing to “return to Christ” combined with anti-Muslim content.

One striking display of this, a linked Christian nationalist group called King’s Army marched in formation 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 critics sometimes depict certain figures as financial backers of American-style religious politics, friends 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 using a speech to condemn what he said was a younger generation influenced by a blend of ideologies.

“In the UK you do have some Christian nationalists, but when it comes to politics it tends to be a sort of Christian nostalgia, linked to our historic identity,” said one commentator.

One Christian MP on the right noted that while the issue of assisted dying had united MPs with faith, any links beyond that felt restricted.

“I certainly don’t get the sense of much of an organized faith-based lobby,” they commented. “In my view, my faith is more a basis for what I already believe. And here, religion is not really a vote winner.”