This blog is by the Reverend Larry Wright, Religious Affairs Advisor to the Next Century Foundation. Despite the fact that both the Conservative and Labour parties were given a straw to cling to in results in Scotland and the Midlands in recent by-elections, the underlying issue of the rise of the Green Party, Reform UK, and Restore Britain, remains. Larry explores what resonances — if any — these three parties have with the Church of England, and whether Reform UK in particular invites a deeper historical comparison with the Protestant Reformation from which Anglican identity emerged:
The party political landscape of the United Kingdom is in a state of unusual volatility. The resurgent Green Party, Reform UK, and the newer Restore Britain movement are drawing public attention and siphoning support from the three traditional parties. Of these, Reform UK has achieved the greatest electoral traction, securing the largest number of MPs and maintaining a consistent lead in polls measuring voting intention.
The Green Party
With five MPs and a growing base of local councillors, the Green Party is expanding its national profile. It has publicly affirmed freedom of religious expression and condemned antisemitism and Islamophobia. At the same time, it advocates a strict separation of Church and State, including the removal of Anglican bishops from the House of Lords.
On social issues, the Greens adopt a strongly progressive stance: support for transgender self identification, endorsement of assisted dying legislation, and an open border approach to immigration. Each of these positions sits uneasily with mainstream Christian teaching. The Church of England has consistently opposed assisted dying, has taken a cautious pastoral approach to transgender questions without endorsing self ID, and has recently halted proposals to liberalise its doctrine and liturgy on sexuality due to resistance from socially conservative members of the General Synod. On immigration, the C of E advocates humane policy and practical support for migrants, but not the abolition of border controls.
Given these divergences, and the Greens’ preference for a secular public sphere, meaningful alignment between the party and the established Church is unlikely.
The Restore Britain Party
Restore Britain, with one MP and a small number of councillors, is the newest entrant to the political scene. It presents itself as a defender of Britain’s Christian heritage and warns of threats posed by cultural change and insufficient integration. Its policies include banning the burqa, mass deportations, and scrapping the current asylum system.
Such positions are incompatible with the Church of England’s theological commitments and public witness. The C of E leadership is therefore unlikely to associate itself with Restore Britain, nor is the party likely to seek ecclesial endorsement.
The Reform UK Party
Reform UK, with eight MPs, numerous councillors, and control of twenty local councils, is the most significant of the new political forces. Its very name invites a historical question: does Reform UK address issues analogous to those confronted by the Protestant reformers of the sixteenth century?
The Protestant Reformation emerged amid profound religious, cultural, political, and economic upheaval. Reformers challenged the supranational authority of the Papacy, defended national sovereignty, criticised economic exploitation, and condemned abuses of power. Although separated by five centuries, both movements arise in contexts marked by dissatisfaction with established authority and a desire to reclaim local or national autonomy.
The comparison is thematic rather than literal, but it is nonetheless illuminating.
Challenges to Supranational Authority
A defining feature of the Reformation was resistance to Papal supremacy. Reformers such as Luther and Zwingli argued that Rome’s authority undermined the sovereignty of emerging nation states. Their movement became intertwined with the rise of national identity and the assertion of domestic control over religious and political life.
Reform UK positions itself as a critic of modern supranational institutions. Although the UK has left the EU, it remains bound by international legal bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice. Reform UK frames its mission around defending national sovereignty, reducing external influence, and reasserting domestic control over borders, laws, and economic policy. Structurally, this echoes the reformers’ insistence that authority should be accountable to the people of a given nation rather than to distant institutions.
Economic Dissatisfaction and Systemic Critique
The Reformation unfolded during a period of economic transition: the decline of feudalism, the rise of mercantile capitalism, and widespread resentment at Church imposed financial burdens. The sale of indulgences was not only a theological scandal but an economic grievance, symbolising wealth extraction by remote authorities.
Reform UK similarly critiques the economic status quo. It argues that taxation, public spending, and the cost of living disproportionately burden ordinary citizens while benefiting entrenched elites. Its rhetoric about government inefficiency and bureaucratic waste resonates with those who feel excluded from prevailing economic structures.
Though the contexts differ dramatically, both movements draw energy from economic frustration and a sense that existing systems serve the powerful rather than the people.
Abuses of Power and Demands for Accountability
Reformers condemned corruption and the concentration of authority in unaccountable institutions. They sought transparency, moral reform, and a redistribution of power to local communities and national rulers.
Reform UK frequently criticises what it describes as an unresponsive political class. Its emphasis on democratic accountability, institutional transparency, and political reform parallels the reformers’ desire to challenge entrenched power.
The analogy is not exact—the reformers confronted a religious institution claiming divine authority, whereas Reform UK operates within a democratic system—but the thematic resonance remains.
Cultural Identity and Social Cohesion
The Reformation reshaped cultural identity, promoting vernacular scripture and strengthening national consciousness. It fostered new forms of belonging rooted in shared language, worship, and civic life.
Reform UK similarly engages with questions of cultural identity, emphasising British values, social cohesion, and the integration of newcomers. While the historical circumstances differ, both movements respond to anxieties about cultural change and the desire to preserve a coherent national identity.
The Limits of Comparison
Despite these parallels, the differences are profound. The Reformation was a theological revolution that reshaped Europe’s spiritual landscape and triggered decades of conflict. Reform UK is a political party seeking electoral influence within an established democratic framework. Any comparison must therefore remain conceptual rather than historical.
Whether Reform UK addresses issues analogous to those confronted by the reformers depends on how one interprets themes of sovereignty, economic justice, cultural identity, and institutional accountability. Some will see strong parallels; others will argue that the analogy stretches beyond its usefulness.
The Church of England and Reform UK
Within Reform UK, figures such as Danny Kruger MP, Professor James Orr, and Tim Montgomerie represent prominent Christian voices. Their presence raises questions about the relationship between the party and the Church of England.
Once described as “the Conservative Party at prayer,” the C of E is now sometimes caricatured as “Guardian readers preaching to Telegraph readers.” Theologically, it remains conservative, rooted in historic doctrine, liturgy, and its identity as both Catholic and Reformed. Yet for decades it has grappled with the intellectual challenges of the Enlightenment, humanism, and secular modernity.
The result is a Church aware of its heritage but increasingly unsure how to value it; anxious to modernise yet often appearing irrelevant; committed to the parish system yet increasingly managerial and centralised. Parishes are frequently pressed to adopt political agendas with limited opportunity to question their relevance or practicality.
Does the Church of England still matter?
With around one million active members, 5,000 schools, countless community projects, and thousands of historically significant buildings, the C of E remains a substantial national presence. Yet its governance is under strain. Movements such as Save the Parish and the outspoken minority of bishops resisting current trends reflect growing internal dissent. The controversy surrounding the Spire Project—allocating £100 million of Church Commissioners’ funds to slavery reparations—has prompted some members to withhold giving. Historians such as Lord Nigel Biggar argue that the evidence does not support claims of significant C of E financial involvement in slavery, yet the project continues.
Similarly, Net Zero targets imposed by national church bodies place heavy burdens on local parishes already struggling with limited resources. Writers such as the Revd Dr Ian Paul, with a substantial online following, regularly critique what he sees as the Church’s capitulation to fashionable ideologies, including Critical Race Theory.
These controversies contribute to a growing perception that the C of E is increasingly shaped by a managerial elite whose priorities diverge from those of many ordinary Anglicans. Some argue that the Church requires reform once again if it is to remain a church for the whole nation rather than a vehicle for the concerns of a narrow leadership class. Meanwhile, traditional Anglicans continue to leave for alternative Anglican bodies or convert to Roman Catholicism—a symbolic reversal of the Reformation that originally shaped Anglican identity.
Conclusion
The rise of new political movements invites fresh reflection on the Church of England’s place in national life. The Greens and Restore Britain stand at clear ideological distance from the C of E. Reform UK, by contrast, touches themes — sovereignty, accountability, cultural identity — that echo the concerns of the sixteenth century reformers, though in a wholly different context.
Whether the Church of England can meaningfully engage with the UK’s emerging political currents remains uncertain. Its own identity and institutional structures are under strain, and it increasingly struggles to sustain a credible public role as a Christian voice to the nation. Internal tensions between progressives and traditionalists further complicate this task: some align readily with contemporary cultural causes, while others insist on the historic doctrines through which the church once exercised moral leadership. The C of E’s future depends on recovering both the theological confidence and the institutional humility that historically allowed it to be at once Catholic and Reformed. If it is to remain a church for the whole nation, it must look beyond immediate political pressures and confront the deeper questions of identity, authority, and purpose that have shaped its life for centuries.
