Patchy faith in Number 10

GOD IN NUMBER 10:
The Personal Faith of the British Prime
Ministers, from Balfour to Blair
By Mark Vickers
SPCK. 489 pages. £25.00
ISBN 978 0 281 087 280

Mark Vickers has served up a treat in this magnum opus.

Countless biographies have taken us behind the famous black door. However, Vickers focuses on a significant aspect that most studies ignore – what personal faith (if any) the 19 Prime Ministers of the 20th century – 18 men and one woman – had, and how that faith impacted their personal and political lives.

God in Number 10 is an intriguing survey, full of unexpected twists and turns. It follows a chronological pattern starting with Arthur Baldwin (1902–1905) and ending with Tony Blair (1997–2007), each chapter beginning with a pen portrait of their political career. Not only do we learn about our subjects, we also trace the influences and events that shaped the political landscape of the UK throughout the 20th century.

Having trawled the primary sources, Vickers gives us a fascinating insight into the extent to which faith shaped the personal lives of our PMs without necessarily impinging on their public policies. Unsurprisingly, he is at his weakest in teasing out the extent to which personal convictions about Christianity became saving convictions about Jesus Christ. Jesus is often represented as an example to be followed, rather than God’s Son to be worshipped.

Inevitably the book is patchy. For instance, Vickers devotes 14 pages to Campbell-Bannerman whilst Tony Blair merits 40 pages. And his Catholic convictions are never far below the surface – like his gratuitous rejection of penal substitution (p.249).

One striking feature of God in Number 10 is Vickers’ observation that, as the Christian faith declined in influence throughout the period, Britain’s Prime Ministers became more believing. It’s Martin Luther who is often credited with the quip ‘I’d rather be governed by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian’. I’ll leave others to judge how many PMs of the 20th century were foolish Christians.

In view of the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister, one feels that a sequel is in order. In the meantime, this well-written and well-researched tome would make an ideal present for someone interested in both politics and religion.