On Good Friday Sir Keir Starmer visited Jesus House, a Pentecostal church in London. Afterwards, however, he apologised for the visit, calling it a “mistake” to be excused on account of ignorance: apparently, he had not known that this Nigerian-origin congregation held traditional Christian beliefs on marriage.
Faced with criticism that his visit was hurtful to those with progressive views on marriage, he repented: an offending tweet was deleted and the public assured that he would not make the same mistake twice. From now on, presumably, Starmer will show such conservative religious types the cold shoulder.
While some might cheer Starmer’s retreat as victory, such triumphalism is short-sighted. This does not bode well for liberal democracy, or Starmer’s leadership credentials.
On marriage and sexuality British society has shifted to the point that progressive views dominate. However, in some parts of Britain’s diverse religious communities, many people are steadfastly conservative. For a mix of social, theological and cultural reasons, that religious minority is here to stay. They will not liberalise overnight. While they cannot discriminate against others on account of sexuality, they are no less legally entitled to their views than their progressive neighbours. This is, after all, a free country.
For the most part, those who make up that conservative minority are active, engaged members of society: Starmer’s one-time friends at Jesus House, praised for their vaccine promotion among ethnic minorities and care for the poor, are an example of this. They are the ordinary citizens declared untouchable by Starmer.
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Their mosques and churches should not expect a visit anytime soon, regardless of however many people are vaccinated or fed there.
Why is this bad news for Britain? The Labour leader has declared himself unwilling to reach across the aisle to meet the Christian British-Nigerian hand on the other side. With that, Starmer has been pushed into a Manichean world where good and bad are starkly divided — an outlook much more easily held in opposition than in leadership.
If finding common ground in London is too difficult, how would Prime Minister Starmer fare on the world stage? Perhaps another apology might be helpful to all.
Dr James Eglinton is the Meldrum senior lecturer in reformed theology at the University of Edinburgh
