After a General election in which record numbers of Conservatives lost their seats, and in
which there is a massive number of MPs who
have never sat in Parliament before (335), the
make-up of the House of Commons is very
different to previously.
Christians on the Left have said there are 43 Labour MPs who identify as Christian who affiliate with them, and there are many more among the Conservatives, Lib Dems, and other parties. Not all new MPs have yet been open about their faith, and so below we have only profiled those whose faith is widely known.
Christian believers in Parliament hail from a variety of church traditions and denominations: they will not all have the same views on ethics, or feel they can always take a stand on the same issues. But let us pray that all of them might reflect something of Jesus and be salt and light in bringing God’s better story to the House of Commons.
Here is just a flavour of some of the names to watch out for:
Carla Lockhart (DUP MP for Upper Bann)
One of a number of Christian MPs within Northern Ireland, Carla Lockhart has spoken out against the imposition of abortion upon Northern Ireland, saying that she believes she has been put in Parliament ‘for such a time as this’, echoing the language of Esther. She has commented: “I will continue to be a voice for the voiceless. I believe that God has me in Parliament to be that voice.” She has also repeatedly raised concerns around transgender ideology.
Danny Kruger (Conservative MP for East Wiltshire)
The son of tv presenter Prue Leith, Danny Kruger is well-known as an evangelical Christian, and has been outspoken in his belief that the only stable basis for society is the marriage of one man and one woman. He has also spoken about abortion. Within the last Parliament, he served as chair for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dying Well, opposing the introduction of Assisted Suicide.
Florence Eshalomi (Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Florence Eshalomi is one of Labour’s faith champions and has worshipped at her Catholic church in Brixton for as long as she can remember, saying, “the Church has been an anchor of my life”. She has regularly spoken in Parliament about her faith, and has even tweeted Bible verses from her Twitter account!
Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green)
Former Conservative Leader Iain Duncan Smith was brought up in the Church of England before converting to Catholicism. He co-founded the centre-right think-tank the Centre for Social Justice in 2004, to advocate on behalf of the poorest within society. He has repeatedly spoken about the benefits of marriage, and the harms that come from family breakdown. He has also said that his political hero is William Wilberforce.
Janet Daby (Labour MP for Lewisham East)
A former Shadow Minister for Faiths, Janet Daby has written previously, “When asked why I’m a Christian, I immediately think of what a clear decision it is for me. I am being offered eternal life through Jesus in a heavenly place...We live and we die on earth but heaven is eternal.” She served on the Labour frontbench as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, before being pressured to resign over speaking on behalf of registrars with a religious objection to same-sex marriage.
John Glen (Conservative MP for Salisbury)
John Glen has said how he came to a “living faith” when he attended university, and has shared about how his faith informs his decision-making within Parliament. He has acted as the chairman of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, has attended Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and is currently the Shadow Paymaster General.
Marsha de Cordova (Labour MP for Battersea)
Marsha De Cordova came to faith in her mid-20s through the witness of a friend inviting her to church, and has spoken of how she feels God opened doors for her to become an MP. She is an Officer of Christians in Parliament, and having been registered blind herself, has served as Vice Chair of Disability Labour, and was previously Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities.
Rachael Maskell (Labour MP for York Central)
Rachael Maskell has spoken openly about her Christian faith and the Christian roots of the Labour movement, and has been outspoken on behalf of pro-life policies in Parliament. In the run-up to the General Election she wrote about how, through politics, she is “seeking to serve the One who created this world out of an explosion of indescribable love, with a longing to restore all into union with Him, the ultimate upholder of equality, fairness and justice.”
Rebecca Smith (Conservative MP for South-West Devon)
A new Conservative MP in this Parliament, Rebecca Smith became a Christian at age four, and has said that she has known God’s faithfulness for forty years! She says her faith shapes everything she does, and has said that she felt called into politics to stand as an MP, beginning her journey by doing work experience more than twenty years ago with Christian MP Gary Streeter!
Ruth Jones (Labour MP for Newport West and Islyn)
A regular church-goer, Ruth Jones continues to volunteer at a local night-shelter. Within the gender debate, she has acted about the importance of biological sex. She said in 2021, “My faith and relationship with Jesus gets me through the day! I feel supported and cared for by him in everything I do whether that is speaking in the chamber, meeting constituents or in my life outside of Parliament.”
Stephen Timms (Labour MP for East Ham)
Well-known to CARE for his thoughtful, evangelical Christian faith, Stephen Timms has served in Parliament for 30 years. He joins his local church every week to pray together for his work in the Commons, and has chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society. He has recently been appointed as Minister of State for Social Security and Disability.
Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Arguably the best known Christian in the House of Commons, Tim Farron came to faith at eighteen, a decision he has called “the most massive choice I have made.” He came under fire from the media around his views on homosexuality while he was leader of the Liberal Democrats. He hosts the podcast, ‘A Mucky Business’, about the intersection of Christianity and politics, and regularly tweets about his faith.
An interview with Tim Farron
We recently sat down with Tim Farron for a short interview about his experience being a Christian in Parliament. Here is what he said...
Why did you first want to become an MP?
When I was 14, I watched a repeat of the ground-breaking film ‘Cathy Come Home’. It affected me deeply: it made me angry and it made me cry, so I decided to join the housing charity ‘Shelter’. Soon after that, I joined the Liberal Party, never assuming that I’d ever actually become an MP! But at the 4th attempt, I was elected in 2005.
We know that no party can ever perfectly reflect Jesus, but tell us about why you represent the Lib Dems, as a Christian?
Philosophically, I do think that being a Christian very much leads me to be a liberal: the Bible tells us that human beings are both awesome (we are made in God’s image, have vast, lofty dignity, and deserve to be served and represented well), and awful (we’re all sinners).
That we’re awesome means we have to treat all humans as equals, with rights, and passionately seek their welfare.
Because we’re awful too, we mustn’t concentrate power in the hands of too few people: that’s why democracy matters, as does the independence of the judiciary, jury trials, the rule of law and no one being above it.
How does your faith impact your every-day duties as an MP?
Firstly, I pray about those duties, for the people I represent and for the issues that I face.
It also leads me to recognise that whilst politics is important, it is not ultimate. That protects me from despair, because I know that God is in charge and humans will not make this world perfect, so I don’t need to be crushed when I don’t get my way or when things go wrong.
Jesus promises us “in this world you will have trouble...”. God keeps that promise! So we know that there will be sadness and frustrations, but those don’t need to drive me to distraction.
How do you find balancing your allegiance to Jesus with your allegiance to your party?
As Andy Flanagan says, our allegiance is to ‘Kingdom before tribe’, so I don’t feel a conflict of interest between Jesus and my party, any more than I feel a conflict between Jesus and any other aspect of our fallen world. I consider my party to be a flawed force for good, but I consider Jesus as the source of all good. There should be no conflict because there is no comparison!
Do the two ever come into conflict?
...having said that...! All parties will have policies and positions that conflict with a Biblical worldview, but I don’t subscribe to the idea that I need to agree with 100% of a party’s policies in order to join it. Also, my party - and others do this too - offers MPs the right to vote in line with our conscience on relevant matters.
What has been your greatest challenge during your life in Parliament?
Maintaining fellowship when you are away from your home church for much of the week, and then also dealing with some of the media and some colleagues, who consider the Christian perspective on the world to be at best utterly weird, and at worst, something unpleasant or ‘hateful’.
How can the Church support and encourage Christians who are in Parliament?
Pray for us! And in your own communities build a relationship with your local MP, especially if they are a Christian; but also if they aren’t, you can be a supportive witness to your MP if they have yet to come to believe in Jesus. Go and see them in their surgeries, find out what they are passionate about and make common cause.
How can we be praying for you in the coming months?
That I’d prioritise well, serve my constituency with love and dedication, and use my platform to be an effective and faithful witness to the saving power of Jesus to all I come into contact with, both at home and in my work.