Christian Party (UK)

The party originated as Operation Christian Vote, founded by George Hargreaves, a Pentecostal minister and former songwriter, in May 2004. It was based in Stornoway, Scotland.{{cite news|url=http://www.whfp.com/1677/editor.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308014138/http://www.whfp.com/1677/editor.html |date=8 March 2007|work=West Highland Free Press|title=King William the Lion, Robbie the Pict and Noggin the Nog|archive-date=8 March 2007 }} It contested the 2004 European Elections in the Scotland constituency,{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/2004/2004-election-candidates |title=2004 Election candidates |publisher=UK Office of the European Parliament |access-date=27 September 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004091828/http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/2004/2004-election-candidates |archive-date=4 October 2009}} gaining 1.8% of the popular vote.{{cite news |title=Vote 2004 {{!}} Scotland European Election Result |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/euro_uk/html/10.stm |website=BBC News |access-date=28 May 2024 |date=14 June 2004}}

Hargreaves was a candidate for Operation Christian Vote in the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election in 2004 where he received 90 votes, last place in a field of seven candidates, and lost his deposit. In the 2005 general election, Hargreaves stood in Na h-Eileanan an Iar, where he was placed fourth, ahead of the Conservatives, and retained his deposit with 1,048 votes or 7.6%. The party was involved in protests, such as at Glasgow.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2005/01/spri-j18.html|title=Christian right forces attack "blasphemous" British television comedy|first=Paul|last=Bond|website=World Socialist Web Site|date=18 January 2005 }}

The party became known as the Christian Party.

The party was registered by the Electoral Commission on 29 April 2004, with the name Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship".

In June 2012, legal action was taken against the Christian Party treasurer by the Electoral Commission for £2,750 for failure to supply accounts for two years as well as for failure to pay previous fines.{{cite press release |publisher=Electoral Commission |url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/news-and-media/news-releases/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-donations/electoral-commission-fines-the-christian-party-proclaiming-christs-lordship-treasurer-and-ashfield-and-mansfield-liberal-democrats |title=Electoral Commission fines the Christian Party Proclaiming Christs Lordship treasurer and Ashfield and Mansfield Liberal Democrats |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702220852/http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/news-and-media/news-releases/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-donations/electoral-commission-fines-the-christian-party-proclaiming-christs-lordship-treasurer-and-ashfield-and-mansfield-liberal-democrats |archivedate=2 July 2012 |accessdate=14 June 2012}} The party de-registered the following month. Hargreaves was given a further six months to supply accounts, but failed to do so and was consequently fined a further £3,000 on top of a previous fine of £1,125 for failing to meet the deadline for provision of accounts.{{cite press release |publisher=Electoral Commission |url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/news-and-media/news-releases/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-donations/electoral-commission-fines-former-treasurer-of-the-christian-party-proclaiming-christs-lordship |title=Electoral Commission fines former treasurer of the Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship" |date=14 February 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030013352/http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/journalist/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-donations/electoral-commission-fines-former-treasurer-of-the-christian-party-proclaiming-christs-lordship |archivedate=30 October 2013 |accessdate=18 August 2024}}

As a result, the party was de-registered in July 2012 and, after the regulatory six months had elapsed, re-registered under a new party RPP under the leadership of Jeff Green. Sue Green is the party treasurer and Dr Donald Boyd is the nominating officer and leader of the Scottish Christian Party. The leader of the Welsh Christian Party and overall leader is Jeff Green.

File:Hargreaves declaration.JPG constituency in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election.]]

{{main|Christian Party election results}}

Candidates from the party stood in the Sedgefield and Ealing Southall by-elections in 2007. The party received 26,575 votes (0.7%) in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election and 8,693 votes (0.9%) in the 2007 Welsh Assembly Election; it did not win any seats.

Hargreaves stood for the party at the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election, and received 76 votes or 0.3% of the total votes cast.

The party competed in the 2009 European elections. Its campaign was mainly focused in London. The British Humanist Association had put up advertisements on London buses saying "there's probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life". The party then produced similar adverts saying "there definitely is a God, so join the Christian Party and enjoy your life".{{cite news |author=Rebecca Smithers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/mar/11/god-advert-christian-complaints |title=Christian party advert draws more than 1,000 complaints |work=The Guardian |date=11 March 2009}} The advert received over 1,000 complaints. On election day, the party retained one deposit in the London region, gaining 51,336 votes (2.9%).

In the 2010 general election, the party stood 71 candidates, gaining 18,623 votes.See Christian Party election results article for details.

The newly re-registered Christian Party contested the Eastleigh by-election in February 2013 with its candidate, Kevin Milburn, a retired former prison officer and health care worker, who stood against same-sex marriage.{{cite news |url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christian.party.candidate.standing.in.eastleigh.byelection/31651.htm |title=Christian Party candidate standing in Eastleigh by-election |website=Christian Today |date=16 February 2013}} He received 163 votes (0.4%).

The party fielded nine candidates in the 2015 general election who between them polled 3,205 votes.{{cite news|title=Election 2015|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/results|work=BBC News}} Only John Cormack in Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) saved his deposit with 6.6%; the other eight each received less than 1% of the votes cast. At the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, in the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency Cormack received 8.8% of the vote, coming fourth ahead of the Liberal Democrats.{{cite web |title=2016 Election Results |url=https://www.parliament.scot/msps/elections/2016-election-results#az_N |publisher=Scottish Parliament |access-date=28 May 2024 }}

In the 2017 general election, the party fielded two candidates in Scotland.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/general-election-june-2017.html|title=Christian Party candidates general election 8th June 2017|publisher=The Christian Party|access-date= 11 June 2017}}
- {{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/S14000039|title=Election 2017: Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey|work=BBC News|access-date=11 June 2017}}
- {{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/S14000027|title=Election 2017: Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles)|work=BBC News|access-date=11 June 2017}}

In the 2019 general election, the party ran an alliance with the Christian Peoples Alliance.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

The party fielded two candidates in the 2024 general election.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

The party's mission statement is "Christians working together to bring Christian concern, goodwill and action into the community, education, business and politics."{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/about.html|title=About|publisher=The Christian Party}}

The party's website includes a statement of its policies{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/policies1.html|title=Policies|publisher=The Christian Party}} which include the following:

Banking{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/banking.html|title=Banking|publisher=The Christian Party}}

• Promote personal and corporate financial responsibility
• Promote government creation of money to be managed by the Bank of England to avoid national indebtedness to commercial banks

Law and order{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/law-and-order.html|title=Law and Order|publisher=The Christian Party}}

• Change the role of the Social Services to support parental authority
• Make contraception for minors illegal without parental approval
• Re-instate in loco parentis as a fundamental principle of school teaching

Health{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/health.html|title=Health|publisher=The Christian Party}}

• Make private health insurance a visa requirement for migrants
• Oblige private medical insurers to inform the Home Office when a private medical insurance policy linked to a visa is allowed to lapse or expires
• Review and reduce Health and Safety legislation

Social security{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/social-security.html|title=Social Security|publisher=The Christian Party|access-date=12 September 2014|archive-date=4 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804151740/http://www.ukchristianparty.org/social-security.html|url-status=dead}}

• Reform the benefit system to remove the risk associated with leaving the welfare system and entering work. This would be accomplished by suspending benefit claims for a period of 9 months rather than closing them when an unemployed person gains employment. Within the 9-month period an unemployed person will be able to audit three jobs before their claim is liable to closure.

Immigration{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/immigration.html|title=Immigration|publisher=The Christian Party}}

• Negotiated agreement with the European Union to apply the immigration points system to migrants from the European Union, or in the event of non-agreement the declaration of a unilateral change in immigration policy
• Make private health insurance a visa requirement for immigrants
• Initiate a "No (private sector) Home – No Visa" policy

Environment{{cite web |url= http://www.ukchristianparty.org/environment.html |access-date= 12 September 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140203120121/http://www.ukchristianparty.org/environment.html|title=Environment |publisher=The Christian Party |archive-date=3 February 2014 |url-status= dead }}

• Challenge the increasing levels of consumption
• Have Sunday restored as a day of rest
• Seek a new global financial system which supports sustainable use of resources

Government and democracy{{cite web |url=http://www.ukchristianparty.org/government--democracy.html|title=Government & Democracy|publisher=The Christian Party |access-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140203102928/http://www.ukchristianparty.org/government--democracy.html |archive-date=3 February 2014 |url-status= dead }}

• Support significant cuts in the public sector workforce in order to reduce the size of government and the size of the government spending
• Support a major re-employment and training programme to make it easier for public sector workers to transfer to the private sector
• Call for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty within the first year of the new Parliament

"Respect for the human person"{{cite web|url= http://www.ukchristianparty.org/respect-for-the-human-person.html |title =Respect for the human person|publisher=The Christian Party |access-date=27 September 2020 }}

• Oppose abortion
• Opposing the legal recognition of same-sex marriage
• Support funding for hospices which provide terminal or palliative care for adults, children and infants

Defence{{cite web |url= http://www.ukchristianparty.org/defence.html |title=Defence |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140203130053/http://www.ukchristianparty.org/defence.html |archive-date=3 February 2014 |url-status= dead|publisher=The Christian Party |access-date=27 September 2020 }}

• Maintain a well resourced military with a nuclear deterrent
• Support the doctrine of a just war, but not military adventurism
• Withdraw British troops from Afghanistan

In 2007, George Hargreaves campaigned to replace the Flag of Wales with the Flag of Saint David, claiming that the red dragon on the Welsh flag was "nothing less than the sign of Satan".Molly Watson, "[http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/christian-group-wants-evil-welsh-2263878 Christian group wants 'evil' Welsh flag changed]" Western Mail, 3 March 2007

• Alliance for Democracy (UK)
• Christian Party election results
• ProLife Alliance (1997–2004)
• Christian Peoples Alliance

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.ukchristianparty.org/index.html The Christian Party website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20101228031946/http://highlandscp.org/ Highlands and Islands Christian Party website]
• {{Cite web|url=http://christianparty.homestead.com/l_manifesto.pdf|title=2007 Scottish Christian Party manifesto|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701001221/http://christianparty.homestead.com/l_manifesto.pdf|archive-date=1 July 2007}}

{{British political parties}}

{{United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum, 2011}}

Category:Political parties established in 2005

Category:Christian political parties in the United Kingdom

Category:2005 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Organisations that oppose LGBTQ rights in the United Kingdom