Christian Party (UK)

Christian Party
Leader	Jeff Green
Founded	2005
Ideology	Christian right, Euroscepticism, Social conservatism
National affiliation	Alliance for Democracy
International affiliation	None
European affiliation	None
European Parliament group	None
Colours	Violet
Website
http://www.ukchristianparty.org/
Politics of the United Kingdom Political parties Elections

The Christian Party, which includes the Scottish Christian Party^[1] and the Welsh Christian Party,^[2] is a minor political party in Great Britain. Members of the Christian Peoples Alliance split off in 2004 under George Hargreaves to found the Christian Party, which compared to the CPA has more of a Christian right perspective. Its leader is now Jeff Green.

History

The party originated as Operation Christian Vote, which was founded by George Hargreaves, a Pentecostal minister and former songwriter, in May 2004. It was based in Stornoway, Scotland.^[3] The party contested the 2004 European Elections in the Scotland constituency,^[4] gaining 1.8% of the popular vote.

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 group was involved in protests, such as at Glasgow.^[5]

The party became known as the Christian Party.

Registration as a party

The party was registered by the Electoral Commission on 29 April 2004, with the name 'Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship!"'.^[2] It has registered nine party descriptions, and two translations, to be used on ballot papers, namely:

• Christian Party
• Christian Party (Scotland)
• Scottish Christian Party
• Scottish Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship"
• The Christian Party
• The Scottish Christian Party
• Welsh Christian Party
• Welsh Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship"
• Plaid Gristionogol Cymru
• Plaid Gristionogol Cymru "Datgan Arglwyddiaeth Crist"

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.^[6] The party de-registered the following month. Hargreaves was given a further 6 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.^[7]

As a result, the party was de-registered in July 2012 and after the regulatory 6 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 Green.

Elections

The Rev Hargreaves (2nd from left in candidates line-up) and other candidates who contested the Glasgow Baillieston constituency in the Scottish Parliament election, 2007.

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 come close to winning any seats.

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

The party competed in the 2009 European elections. Its campaign was mainly focussed 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."^[8] The advert received over 1,000 complaints. On election day, the party retained one deposit in the London region through gaining 51,336 votes (2.9%).

In the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the party stood 71 candidates, gaining 18,623 votes.^[9]

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.^[10] He received 163 votes (0.4%).

The Christian Party fielded nine candidates in the 2015 general election.

Policies

The party's mission statement is, “Christians working together to bring Christian concern, goodwill and action into the community, education, business and politics.”^[11]

The party's website includes a statement of its policies^[12] which include the following:

Banking^[13]

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

Law and order^[14]

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

Health^[15]

• 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 Health and Safety legislation and reduce them to more appropriate levels

Social security^[16]

• Reform the benefit system to eradicate 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^[17]

• 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 declare 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^[18]

• Challenge the ‘business as usual’ approach where increasing levels of consumption have eaten into the ecological capital of the world.
• Call for the restoration of Sunday as a day of rest, to allow reflection by individuals and communities on the role they have to play. A re-ordering of values is needed.
• Seek a new global financial system which supports fair and sustainable use of resources.

Government and democracy^[19]

• Support radical cuts in the public sector workforce in order to reduce both the size of government and the size of the government spending.
• Support a radical re-employment and training programme so that public sector workers are not thrown on the ‘scrap heap’, but are empowered for a smooth transition into the private sector.
• Call for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty within the first year of the new Parliament.

Respect for the human person^[20]

• Oppose abortion
• Reject all attempts to re-define marriage
• Support funding for hospices which provide terminal or palliative care for adults, children and infants

Defence^[21]

• 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 Wales, the party wants to see Wales represented on the Union Flag. The Christian Party appreciates that the red dragon would not be allowed on the flag of union, so instead promotes the inclusion of the Flag of Saint David.

See also

• Alliance for Democracy (UK)
• Christian Party election results

References

External links

• The Christian Party website
• Highlands and Islands Christian Party website
• 2007 Scottish Christian Party manifesto