What makes a leader? Reflections from the Conservative Party Conference

I am writing this article on the way back from the Conservative Party Conference, where most of my time was spent with the Conservative Christian Fellowship, who had an exhibition stand at the entrance to the conference hall. The talk of the conference was about leadership.

This has made me reflect not so much upon the qualities of the leadership candidates but upon the distinctive Christian characteristics of leadership, which are needed not just in the Conservative Party but across public life.

When I became an MP in 2005, the then Conservative Party Leader, Michael Howard, invited me and other MPs who had just been elected to reflect on their views about the last election. We had all munched our sandwiches and got to coffee and I was conscious that I had not asked a question. I raised my hand but unfortunately it was just the same time as Michael Howard, sitting next to me, decided to have a slurp of his coffee. Collision! The coffee went all over Michael Howard’s lovely purple tie and suit which had survived a tough election contest but not my questioning hand. But it is Michael Howard’s reaction which made a bigger impression than the stain on his clothes - he responded graciously and sought to deflect the blame and shame away from me and shrug off my clumsiness. It led to me writing to Michael Howard suggesting that we have a coffee character test in the forthcoming leadership contest, allowing me to throw coffee over all the candidates and see if they act with similar grace!

We read in 2 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬: 'As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.'

The Greek word for 'grace' is the same as 'gratitude'. To receive God’s grace in vain is to fail to respond to God's grace with gratitude. To fail to show overflowing thanks (Colossians 2:7) for grace - Christ’s love so wide, high, long and deep (Ephesians 3:8).

We need grace and gratitude everywhere, reflecting the extraordinary generosity of our Lord in all aspects of life and even death. Psalms like 103 exude gratitude:

'Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.' (Psalm 103:1-5)

In a community in Enfield, where my church has recently planted, a group delivering a leaflet advertising the opening of a branch of the charity Grace Advocacy, were met with the comment that there is no grace here. It could perhaps also be said in some of our public life. As the Conservative Party get into their final stage of choosing a leader, or as we look to other leaders locally and nationally, let’s do a character test. Not by throwing coffee over them, but by ourselves leading by example - talking about and showing God's Christlike, Holy Spirit filled grace and gratitude.