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At recent Reform UK press conferences, a pair of notable heads can often be seen in the front row: the pale hair of party policy chief Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of James Orr.

Beyond shaping the policy programme for what could be the UK’s next government, the pair share another trait in common. Each is a highly devout Christian who came to religion in later life, and possess strong opinions on matters of society such as reproductive rights and the family.

A Network of Faith

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

Another member is Paul Marshall, the hedge fund millionaire who controls GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. Marshall is a devout Christian.

“Faith, particularly evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been a key characteristic of American conservative politics,” its followers forming the bedrock of a particular political support.

Transatlantic Links

There are some links. Orr is personally connected to the US Vice-President that he has welcomed him at his private residence. Orr is also involved in the NatCon movement, which has ties to the American faith-based populist world.

But any closer comparisons soon fall down due to a simple matter of numbers. While surveys indicate that nearly a quarter 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 crucial element to consider. While US evangelicals lean firmly to the right, recent surveys by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance suggests that the broader situation here is markedly distinct.

A poll of nearly 1,500 evangelicals places the Labour Party in the lead with over a quarter backing. The Reform party and Liberal Democrats are level on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.

Other questions reveal support among evangelicals for more generous welfare payments, but also concerted alarm about plans to legalise assisted suicide.

“Sometimes with evangelicals there can be a gap between opinions, particularly regarding social issues, and how people vote,” explained a representative. “For example, someone might have a firm stance on abortion, but they do not view voting as likely to lead to change.”

Cross-Party Belief

Evangelism is present in parliament, including cross-party faith-based meetings. But it is a reality also of the left, with figures like Kruger countered by the Lib Dem Tim Farron and the Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

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

“Moral justice was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” she stated. “It stems from our roots, how we think about inequality in society, making sure we have a just system.”

A Newer Strain

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

Tommy Robinson has begun to present 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 the Turning Point group, includes social media messaging about the country needing to “re-embrace Christianity” alongside anti-Islam content.

One striking display of this, a Turning Point-allied nationalist Christian group named 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, fairly niche in UK politics. While critics sometimes portray certain figures as financial backers of US-style evangelism, friends insist they are simply observant believers who are strongly opposed to any politicisation of faith.

Kruger is not shy of sometimes unconventional language, for example in an address 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 tends to be a sort of longing for a Christian past, linked to our historical character,” said one commentator.

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 restricted.

“I do not get the sense of much of an organized faith-based lobby,” they commented. “For me, my faith is more a foundation for what I personally hold. And here, religion is not particularly a decisive electoral issue.”