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At recent the Reform party media events, two very distinctive heads can often be spotted in the forefront: the pale hair of party policy chief Danny Kruger and the swept-back blond mane of James Orr.

Beyond shaping the political agenda for what could be the UK’s future administration, the pair share another trait in common. Both are highly devout Christian who found religion in adulthood, and possess strong opinions on matters of society such as abortion and the family.

Connections and Convictions

The MP Kruger, who defected from the Conservatives, and Orr, a university scholar, are members of the advisory board of a rightwing thinktank known as the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

A further participant is Paul Marshall, the hedge fund millionaire who owns GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. Marshall is a devout Christian.

“Religion, specifically evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been one of the defining elements of American conservative politics,” with its adherents forming the bedrock of a particular political support.

Cross-Over Connections

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

However, direct parallels soon fall down due to a simple matter of numbers. While polling shows that close to a fourth of US adults are evangelical Christians, the proportion for the UK is roughly one-tenth of that at most.

A Different Landscape

There is another crucial element to consider. While US evangelicals tilt strongly to the political right, recent surveys by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance indicate the broader situation here is quite different.

A poll of nearly 1,500 evangelicals places Labour in the first place with 26% support. The Reform party and Liberal Democrats are level on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.

Further polling reveal backing from evangelicals for increased 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 cast their ballot,” explained a representative. “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

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

She has been explicit 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’s part of our foundations, how we think about inequality in society, making sure we have a just system.”

A Newer Strain

There is, however a distinct and more recent side to religion in UK politics, one more closely modelled on US concepts of religious nationalism.

The activist Tommy Robinson has started to portray himself as openly a Christian, though a lot of this is done as a contrast to Islam.

In a similar vein, Nick Tenconi, who leads the UK outpost of Turning Point, posts social media messaging about the country needing to “return to Christ” combined with anti-Islam content.

In a dramatic display of this, a linked nationalist Christian 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 maintain they are simply observant believers who are firmly against any politicisation of faith.

Kruger is not shy of sometimes unconventional language, for example using a speech to censure 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 more often be a sort of Christian nostalgia, linked to our historical character,” 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 foundation for what I personally hold. And here, religion is not particularly a vote winner.”