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

As well as guiding the policy programme for what might become the UK’s next government, the pair share another trait in common. Both are deeply committed Christian who found religion in adulthood, and possess trenchant views on matters of society such as reproductive rights and the family.

Connections and Convictions

The MP Kruger, who switched allegiance from the Conservatives, and Orr, a university scholar, also sit on the steering committee of a conservative policy group called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

A further participant is the financier Paul Marshall, the investment tycoon who owns GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. Marshall is a practising Christian.

“Faith, particularly evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been a key characteristic of American conservative politics,” with its adherents providing the core of a particular political support.

Transatlantic Links

Parallels do exist. Orr is personally connected to the US Vice-President that he has hosted him at his family home. Orr is also involved in the NatCon movement, which has connections to the American faith-based populist world.

But any closer comparisons quickly break down due to a simple matter of scale. While surveys indicate that close to a fourth of US adults are evangelicals, the figure for the UK is about a tenth of that at the very most.

The UK Evangelical Vote

There is another crucial element to consider. While US evangelicals tilt strongly to the right, new polling by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance suggests that the broader situation in Britain is markedly distinct.

Research of nearly 1,500 evangelicals shows Labour in the lead with 26% support. The Reform party and Liberal Democrats are tied 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 permit assisted suicide.

“Sometimes with evangelicals there can be a dissonance between personal views, particularly regarding social issues, and how people cast their ballot,” explained a representative. “As an instance, someone might have a strong opinion on abortion, but they don’t see voting as likely to lead to change.”

Cross-Party Belief

Evangelism does exist in parliament, including all-party prayer group meetings. But it is a phenomenon present on the left, with figures like Kruger balanced out by Tim Farron and the Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

She has been explicit about how faith informs her politics, notably on issues such as poverty.

“Moral justice was ‘a big part’ of the party's ethos,” she stated. “It stems from our roots, how we think about inequality in society, ensuring we have a fair framework.”

Emerging Currents

There is, however a different and newer side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by US concepts of religious nationalism.

Tommy Robinson has started to portray himself as explicitly 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” alongside anti-Muslim content.

One striking manifestation of this, a linked Christian nationalist group named King’s Army paraded through Soho, a location seemingly chosen as it is the centre of London’s LGBT community.

A Niche Phenomenon

These elements remain, 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 politicisation of faith.

He has been not shy of occasional off-piste rhetoric, for example in an address to censure 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,” noted an analyst.

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

“I do not get the sense of much of an evangelical lobby,” they said. “In my view, my faith is more a foundation for what I personally hold. And here, religion is not really a vote winner.”