A Reform UK councillor has said many Christians have been motivated to stand for the party “because they want their country back”, after thumping wins in the English local elections. 

The party gained more than 1,400 councillors after a collapse in Labour and Conservative support. 

Stephen Reed, deputy leader of Derbyshire County Council, told Premier Christian News there’s been "a lot of Christians motivated to stand for election because they want their country back, they want Christian values back".

He believed voters have said “enough is enough” because mainstream politicians “have gone too woke and too progressive”.

“It’s encouraging to see people are wanting change. A lot of people are voting for Reform, it’s good to see we’re having a move back towards the values of family, community and country. That’s what Reform stands for”, Reed added. 

There has been discussion about Reform’s policies, with some Christians struggling to square its anti-immigration and asylum stance with welcoming the stranger and helping those in need. 

When asked about Reform’s plans, Reed said: “Yes, you welcome your neighbour. But all of the teachings of Jesus point to what we do as individuals, not corporately as a nation. He’s not speaking to governments. Jesus said: ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s’”.

He continued: “Charity starts at home. Before we can help others, we need to look after ourselves. We need to fix the issues with homelessness, deprivation and poverty that we have in our own society, before we help other people."

Speaking on his Premier podcast, A Mucky Business, Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron has encouraged Christians to pray for those who have won to have wisdom. He also said there should be prayers for those who have lost their council seats, amid national political turmoil.