STORY
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of using references to Britain’s Christian heritage as a means of channelling anti-Muslim sentiment. Williams, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 until 2012, made the comments in an interview with New Humanist magazine in which he discussed the growth of Christian nationalism and the role of religion in contemporary politics.
Williams said anxiety about migration and hostility towards Islam were among the factors driving Christian nationalism in Britain and argued that presenting the UK as a Christian society could provide political support for anti-Muslim arguments. Farage has repeatedly emphasised what he describes as Britain’s Christian or Judeo-Christian inheritance, including saying at Easter that the Christian values on which the country was built should be a source of pride. Earlier this year, he criticised an iftar event in Trafalgar Square, describing it as an attempt to dominate British culture.
Williams also questioned whether Farage’s interest in Christianity reflected a deep theological commitment and raised similar concerns about activist Tommy Robinson’s public identification with the faith. Reform has increasingly incorporated Christianity into its political messaging, with theologian James Orr taking a senior role in the party and arguing that a Reform government would be more supportive of Christians than its rivals. Farage has described himself as a member of the Church of England, although he has acknowledged that he is not a regular churchgoer.