Looking for national renewal in politics? Look here

I was at a talk recently given by former Labour MP Jon Cruddas about the importance of Christianity in the Labour Party and socialism and found myself agreeing with almost everything!

Now I am not about to tear up my Conservative Party membership card. However it reminded me how for Christians in politics there is much more which unites us than divides us, and amid polarising political winds it is worth spending a little time exploring these Christian unifying forces.

Welfare, freedom and virtue

Jon Cruddas spoke of three pillars of justice which are present in all the major parties, namely: welfare, freedom and virtue. However, he emphasised how the pillar of virtue is most neglected in the pursuit of “soulless managerialism and callous liberalism”. Jon was equally critical of previous and current Conservative and Labour Governments which he said tend towards technocratic and utilitarian solutions rather than ethical ones, which rather draw on the public’s concern for human flourishing- love, family, community, and security.

This is not about a lesson in political philosophy, as Jon and anyone involved in politics can testify, whether in Dagenham or Enfield - given to a swell of disaffected, disconnected people who are unsurprisingly tempted by populist rhetoric. Both Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch talk about the need for national renewal, and the question is who will grasp the nettle and appreciate that you cannot ignore the spiritual when seeking to renew the temporal?

As co founder and Director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship we will be seeking to play our part in the blue corner, and it is encouraging that Jon Cruddas and others will be doing likewise in the red corner.

So how does this challenge for an ethical, and indeed Christian, pillar to politics show itself in the hurly burly of Government?

One example came to mind last weekend as I was travelling past Bicester Village, which was in one sense the scene of a political battle I waged when MP with the then PM David Cameron. He was convinced that a key way to drive growth was to open up Sunday trading for large retail stores, such as in Bicester where he bemoaned shops closing at 4pm. Beyond what I felt was a dubious economic argument, I countered that the impact on families - especially shop workers - outweighed any supposed economic benefits of liberalising shopping hours. I warned David Cameron that he faced a similar defeat to Margaret Thatcher who benefitted from a much larger majority. I was condemned by libertarian colleagues on my side of the political fence and lauded by trade union supporting socialists on the other side. I ended up leading the defeat of the Government despite a strong “3-line whip” with what I termed an “unholy alliance” of Conservative, Labour and SNP MPs. Yet the dominant cross-party concern was expressed by both Left or Right for human flourishing with strong families at their heart. It is a concern which often gets lost in government by the dominance of the utilitarians in the Treasury.

However, politicians looking for national renewal ignore at their peril the foundational concern which is at the heart of Western civilisation. Some call it responsible citizenship; others call it faith and family, but Jesus said: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”’ (Matthew 22:37-39)