Former Conservative politician Michael Gove has spoken out against the prosecution of individuals for praying silently near abortion facilities.
Mr Gove, who has been editor of The Spectator since October, told a GB News podcast “It is wrong to say that someone cannot pray – silently – because you have a particular view on abortion…For me, free speech is as close to a fundamental principle as any. And so is freedom of worship.”
The former Justice Secretary, who is Catholic said that “genuine intimidation” was unacceptable, but expressed incredulity that prayer should be considered a crime in this context, adding “prayer…that’s at the foundation of the country…I’m not saying that everyone should believe, but you can’t understand Britain without understanding our Judeo-Christian tradition.
“Freedom of conscience and freedom of religion are fundamental freedoms.”
The issue of free speech and freedom of worship is making the news on both sides of the Atlantic. The US Vice President JD Vance addressed a recent meeting of EU leaders and singled out the UK for the “most concerning” case of Adam Smith-Connor – the army veteran who was convicted in November 2024 for praying silently across the road from an abortion facility, where a “buffer zone” was enforced. He said the case showed the “basic liberties of religious Britons” were in the “crosshairs”.
Yesterday during a press conference with the US president Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer, JD Vance also challenged the Prime Minister on what he said was the “overregulation” of tech companies:
“We also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British — of course what the British do in their own country is up to them — but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens."
The Prime Minister responded tartly that “in relation to free speech in the U.K. I’m very proud of our history there. We’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom and it will last for a very, very long time."
Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF International, supporting the legal defence of Adam Smith-Connor and others prosecuted for praying inside “buffer zones”, responded:
“The policing of people’s very thoughts in “buffer zones” is the most extreme example of censorship across the West. While crime festers on the streets of England, it’s unbelievable that police time and resources are focused on criminalising peaceful Christians, who simply want to pray.
“Nobody can deny that two-tier policing is a problem here; nobody can deny that we are riding roughshod over freedom of speech and of thought. I thank Michael Gove, VP Vance and the many other voices who are issuing this wake-up call – we must restore basic standards of human rights.”