A Conservative Christian councillor has told Premier Christian Radio that the party has “some soul searching to do”, as it whittles its next leader down to either Robert Jenrick or Kemi Badenoch.
Cllr David Taylor of Romford told Premier that the next party leader must demonstrate values of integrity to regain public trust: “They need to be very open and transparent in their own lives and the way they conduct their politics. That's what we really need to be praying for now, for the Conservative Party is, as it does, some soul searching.”
James Cleverly was the competition’s frontrunner before being knocked off the ballot in a surprising result of MPs votes. The new opposition leader will now be decided by Conservative Party members from across the country.
Cllr Taylor added: “The breach of trust by the Conservatives over the last four or five years is going to take a very long time for us, as a party, to get over. It came from a prime minister who was found to have lied to Parliament and the public.
“It also came from the place that the Conservatives spoke quite tough on some policies and just didn't deliver. Now we're in opposition we can't deliver on certain promises, so that bit is going to be tough to restore, but what we can do is have candidates that actually stick to what they believe in, push forward and champion those policies.”
Kemi Badenoch served as Communities and Faith Minister in 2021 and has described herself as having a cultural faith background owing to her Nigerian Christian parents.
Robert Jenrick has not aligned himself publicly with any faith but spoke in favour of Israel at the 2024 party conference. His wife, Michal Berkner, is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and identifies as Jewish.
Cllr Daivd Taylor told Premier that as the leadership race reaches its final stages, it’s more important than ever for Christians to engage politicians: “We can't sit on the sidelines and watch. There are other people getting involved that perhaps we don't want to be involved in the world of politics. We need to get stuck in, and we need to make sure that our voice is heard.”