Reform UK has pledged to “restore Britain’s Christian heritage” if it is elected to government, outlining a series of proposals related to immigration, education, and the use of church buildings.
The party’s new Home Affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, who is Muslim, said in an interview with The Times that Britain’s Christian values are under threat due to mass immigration from what he described as “low-trust societies.” Speaking ahead of a policy address in Dover on Monday, Yusuf said Reform UK would seek to prevent churches from being converted into mosques and would deport individuals residing in the country illegally.
He also proposed introducing a “patriotic curriculum” in schools that would place Christianity at its center.
Dan Barker, vice president of Reform UK’s Christian Fellowship, told Premier Christian News that he supports Yusuf’s position.
“I think most people would agree,” Barker said. “If you asked the man in the street about Christian values, the public good, the social good that is Christianity, that has declined in recent decades. There’s been a vacuum that has been filled by other ideas, with other religions – or no religion – or some quite dangerous political ideologies.”
Barker added that he believes safeguards should be introduced to prevent churches from being repurposed for other religious uses.
“Some of these buildings have been the centre of our communities for hundreds of years,” he said. “They’re intrinsically linked to those communities, so for a church to fall into disrepair and then, with very little control, to be converted into a mosque or some other Hindu temple, has to be stopped. There’s got to be restrictive covenants to say these churches are only for Christian use.”
Addressing criticism that stricter immigration policies may conflict with Christian teachings about welcoming strangers, Barker said: “Jesus talked about nations and about the rule of law and authority. And what we’re seeing here with illegal immigration is exactly the opposite of that. It’s lawlessness, it’s criminality.”
He added that Christianity remains a foundational element of Britain’s national identity and heritage, and called for greater confidence in expressing that tradition publicly.
Yusuf’s remarks prompted mixed reactions on social media platform X. One user wrote: “What is Christian about sending people seeking asylum back to their persecutors! You are such a hypocrite!” Another commented: “My Christian heritage is intact. So what are you spouting about? What is it you’re reclaiming?”
