Polluted politicians?

Keir Starmer’s political honeymoon didn’t survive the summer. His new government started with a gloomy message of ‘buckle up, this is going to hurt’, while floating tax rises to tackle the public finances.

Then it was revealed that he and some of his colleagues received gifts worth large sums of money in the form of clothing and hospitality. They did not break the rules, but neither did they help to restore the trust in politicians that has been seeping away in recent years.

For many onlookers, weary of partisan sniping and the whiff of dishonesty and privilege around those in leadership, politics feels tainted and damaged beyond repair. Many are attracted to the populist (and in my view harmful) narrative that MPs are part of a ‘corrupt elite’ which is ignoring and exploiting the decent British people. And although Labour won a huge majority of seats in July, voter turnout was just 59.7%, the lowest at a general election since 2001.

As someone deeply involved in politics since the age of 16, I am grieved that my profession – and my vocation – is seen as so polluted. I always emphasise that most people go into politics to make a positive difference to the lives of others. It is a demanding and consuming role. But it is also a great honour, and hugely rewarding if approached with the right perspective.

Politics is an opportunity to serve people. It’s to be an advocate for our communities and the individuals living within them, to seek their welfare and fight their corner. For a Christian this is a deeply practical way of loving our neighbour.

Of course, you don’t have to be a Christian in politics to take this mission seriously. Many of my colleagues with no faith are passionate advocates for their constituents. But Christian MPs bring an added perspective: politics is ultimately about serving God. It is part of our daily worship. This not only gives us the strength to persevere, but should help us keep our feet firmly on the ground. Our goals should not be to reach the top of the tree, to earn more money, to have power and control over others. Jesus models a very different way.

And this gives us an insight into how we might restore faith in politics, and point our colleagues and communities to Him. My American friend Michael Wear, President Obama’s former faith adviser, has written a book to counter the bitterness of US politics. He starts from a seemingly obvious premise: our politics is shaped by the kind of people we are. By modelling a better, Christ-like way of doing politics, we can reorientate our politics for the good of others. Christians have a great opportunity to restore compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience to our public square (Col.3:12). What might our politics look like then?

This is a massive challenge. Christian politicians are human and fallen. We will make mistakes and take bad decisions. But I passionately believe that, in the words of sociologist James Davison Hunter, we should be providing a ‘faithful presence’ in the public square. And we can trust that the Holy Spirit will take our small amount of yeast and work it all the way through the dough, for God’s glory.

More than half of my colleagues in Parliament are new MPs, and although some Christian colleagues have sadly departed, there are many among the new intake.

So please pray for us as we seek to model a better way to do politics: to love our neighbour, serve others and witness to Christ’s redemptive power in our lives.

● Christian MPs and political figures contribute as believers not party politicians. en does not endorse any one particular party.