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During recent Reform UK press conferences, two very distinctive figures can often be seen in the front row: the pale hair of party policy chief Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of senior adviser James Orr.

Beyond shaping the policy programme for what might become the UK’s future administration, the pair share another trait in common. Both are deeply committed Christian who came to religion in adulthood, and hold trenchant views on matters of society such as abortion and the traditional family unit.

Connections and Convictions

The MP Kruger, who switched allegiance 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 the financier Paul Marshall, the investment tycoon who owns GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. He is also a devout Christian.

“Faith, particularly evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been one of the defining elements of American conservative politics,” its followers forming the bedrock of Donald Trump’s support.

Cross-Over Connections

There are some links. Orr is sufficiently close to JD Vance that he has welcomed him at his private residence. Orr is also involved in the NatCon movement, which has connections to the US religious-populism world.

But any closer comparisons quickly break down due to a simple matter of numbers. While surveys indicate that close to a quarter of US adults are evangelical Christians, the proportion for the UK is about a tenth of that at the very most.

The UK Evangelical Vote

There is another crucial element 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 in Britain is quite different.

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

Other questions reveal backing from evangelicals for increased welfare payments, but also significant concern about plans to legalise assisted dying.

“Among evangelicals there can be a dissonance between personal views, especially on social issues, and how people cast their ballot,” explained a representative. “For example, someone might have a strong opinion on abortion, but they don’t see voting as a way to lead to change.”

Cross-Party Belief

Evangelical belief is present in parliament, including all-party faith-based meetings. But it is a phenomenon also of the political left, with figures like Kruger countered by Tim Farron and the Labour MP Rachael Maskell.

She has been explicit about how her beliefs informs her politics, notably on issues such as economic disadvantage.

“Ethical fairness was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” Maskell argued. “It’s part of our foundations, how we think about disparity in society, ensuring we have a fair framework.”

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 Turning Point, includes social media messaging about the country needing to “return to Christ” alongside anti-Muslim content.

One striking manifestation of this, a Turning Point-allied nationalist Christian group named King’s Army paraded through Soho, a location apparently selected as it is the heart of London’s LGBT community.

Limited Influence

All this remains, however, fairly niche in UK politics. While commentators sometimes depict certain figures as financial backers of US-style evangelism, friends insist they are simply devout believers who are strongly opposed to any political exploitation of faith.

He has been 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 more often be a sort of longing for a Christian past, linked to our historical character,” said one commentator.

One Christian MP on the right noted that while the issue of assisted dying had helped bring together MPs with faith, any links beyond that felt limited.

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