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At recent Reform UK press conferences, a pair of notable heads can often be spotted in the forefront: the near-white locks of Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of James Orr.

Beyond shaping the political agenda for what might become the UK’s future administration, the pair share another trait in common. Both are deeply committed Christian who found religion in adulthood, and hold 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 Cambridge academic, also sit on 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 conservative Spectator magazine. He is also a practising Christian.

“Faith, particularly Protestant evangelism, has in recent decades been one of the defining elements of American conservative politics,” with its adherents forming the bedrock of Donald Trump’s support.

Transatlantic Links

Parallels do exist. Orr is personally connected 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.

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 evangelical Christians, the figure for the UK is about a tenth of that at the very most.

The UK Evangelical Vote

An additional important factor to take into account. While US evangelicals lean firmly to the right, new polling by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance suggests that the broader situation here is quite different.

A poll of nearly 1,500 evangelicals shows Labour in the first place with over a quarter backing. The Reform party and Liberal Democrats are tied on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.

Other questions demonstrate backing from evangelicals for more generous welfare payments, but also significant concern about plans to permit assisted suicide.

“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 do not view voting as a way to lead to change.”

Faith Across the Aisle

Evangelical belief is present in parliament, including cross-party faith-based meetings. But it is a reality present on the left, with figures like Kruger balanced out by the Lib Dem Tim Farron and the Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

Maskell is very open about how her beliefs shapes her politics, especially concerning issues such as economic disadvantage.

“Moral justice was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” Maskell argued. “It stems from our foundations, how we think about disparity in society, making sure we have a fair framework.”

A Newer Strain

There is, however a different and newer side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by American ideas of faith-based nationalism.

Tommy Robinson has started 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 outpost 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 Turning Point-allied nationalist Christian group named King’s Army marched in formation through Soho, a location seemingly chosen as it is the centre of London’s LGBT community.

A Niche Phenomenon

All this remains, however, fairly niche in UK politics. While critics sometimes portray certain figures as financial backers of American-style religious politics, friends maintain they are little more than observant believers who are firmly against 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 indoctrinated by a mix of ideologies.

“Here in Britain 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 historic identity,” said one commentator.

One Christian MP with conservative views noted 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 organized faith-based lobby,” they commented. “For me, my faith is more a basis for what I already believe. And here, religion is not particularly a decisive electoral issue.”