Concerns about Labour?

September and October are funny moments in the parliamentary calendar.

In early September MPs return from their summer holidays for a few weeks, then there’s another recess. It’s so that party conference season can happen. This is where party members gather and listen to keynote speakers, decide policies and generally try and remind themselves why they support their party of choice.

Of course, the big unknown at the moment is when the next General Election will be. Recent rumours suggest Spring 2024, but don’t be surprised if Rishi Sunak waits until the last possible moment to see how much progress he can make on his five pledges. If the polls are anything to go by, Keir Starmer can expect anywhere between being the largest party to a large majority.

For many I wonder if the prospect of a majority Labour government is cause for real concern. What’s been especially fascinating is to watch Starmer in recent months as he tries to move Labour to the centre ground. Even his recent reshuffle was a clear attempt to shore up Labour’s centrist credentials. The demotion of Lisa Nandy was a case in point because she’s seen very much as part of what’s called the ‘soft left’.

The truth is, until their election manifesto is published, we won’t know for certain what Labour plan to do. Recent weeks have seen policy commitments on not increasing income tax, fresh plans around house building, and so on. On the gender self-ID issue, Labour have admittedly flip-flopped but recent signs are more encouraging. Keir Starmer finally told everyone what an adult female is, for one thing.

In recent months, I’ve spoken to lots of Christians and church leaders who are concerned about the prospect of a Labour government. One of my observations is that if you’re worried that a Labour government will introduce a raft of socially progressive policies, it might be worth pausing and asking: what’s the last 13 years of Tory government’s been like from this perspective?

For one, they passed same-sex marriage in 2013. For another, they’ve undermined the strength of families with their systematic failure to consider the impact of economic policies on family life. Some of the rhetoric around illegal immigration has been extremely troubling, plus it also completely undermines protections for modern slavery victims. They also passed some of the world’s most permissive abortion laws for Northern Ireland, despite opposition from the people of NI and the undermining of the devolution agreement. It was also the Conservative government under Theresa May who first introduced the prospect of conversion-therapy legislation, with its accompanying risks of ruining religious freedom.

That’s to say nothing about the undermining of public trust in institutions and politics in general through a causal disregard for rules and proper procedures.

The point is, it’s no good pointing the finger at the Labour Party if you’re not also willing to acknowledge that all political parties have policies that go against God’s revealed will.

As Christians, we can look at the prospect of a change in government with the knowledge that God’s will shall be done. With any government, there’s always opportunities for good laws which are consistent with the Christian worldview. For example, the last 13 years have seen Modern Slavery legislation, a small marriage tax allowance reintroduced, a new free speech Bill aimed at universities, and age verification for all online pornographic content hopefully coming online by the next election. Whatever the outcome at the upcoming election, there will be opportunities to pass laws that promote what God has said is good.