As the race for Tory leadership intensifies, a critical question remains largely unasked: Do any of the front runners truly understand or embody the spiritual and moral values that underpin leadership?
Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly may well present slightly different political visions, but where do they stand when it comes to matters of faith, morality, and doing what is right in the eyes of God?
The final two candidates will be presented to party members for the decisive vote. Among the rank and file, Kemi Badenoch is reportedly the favourite. However, according to The Telegraph, the public holds a slight preference for James Cleverly.
The Bible standard is that leaders should be:
Exod 18:21 … able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.
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So where do the Tory Candidates stand on today’s great moral issues? Do any of them even recognise a spiritual dimension to politics?
This isn’t about whether Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Mel Stride or Dame Priti Patel claim to be Christian, or go to church.
It’s about whether or not they have a God-fearing, Christian world-view. In other words, are they humble enough to recognise that’s Christ Jesus, as King and Lord of this United Kingdom?
The Bible says,
1Tim 6:15b the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords
Do they give a thought to our Christian Constitution as expressed in His Majesty’s Coronation in May 2023? Do they regard the Almighty Creator and sovereign of the universe as our judge and lawgiver, the king, as the prophet says, who alone can save us, or do they think politicians can make it all up on their own?
We can get a clue from their voting record in the House of Commons.
Recording voting patterns
Christian Voice has been tracking voting patterns since 1988. Remarkably, 21 MPs who served during the Margaret Thatcher era remain in the House of Commons today.
The voting record shows that Robert Jenrick, the current front-runner, has demonstrated little regard for protecting human life. Among the six candidates, he was the only one to vote in favour of decriminalising abortion, supporting DIY abortion pills, and endorsing buffer zones around abortion facilities, which effectively criminalise pro-life activities, including prayer.
Moreover, none of his rivals took a stand against abortion on demand.
The prophet Jeremiah asked:
Lamentations 1:12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
Did any support prayer in Buffer Zones?
Kemi Badenoch was the only candidate to vote against DIY abortion, and only she and Mel Stride opposed the implementation of buffer zones around abortion centers. None of the candidates supported the freedom to pray outside these facilities—not a single one.
Moreover, none of them voted against the UK government’s imposition of same-sex marriage and abortion laws on Northern Ireland. In fact, Tom Tugendhat actually voted in favor of both measures.
When Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) was debated in 2019, all of the candidates voted to promote teachings on sodomy and transgender ideology, except for Robert Jenrick and Dame Priti Patel, who abstained rather than voting against it.
It’s worth noting that Dame Priti Patel, who became the first candidate eliminated by MPs during the voting rounds, was also the only one to sign MP Miriam Cates’s letter to then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in March 2023, expressing concerns about RSE.
She was also the only one to oppose the absurdity of the Net Zero Vehicle Mandate, forcing motor manufacturers to sell a set quota of those electric cars hardly any consumer actually wants, in December last year.
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Truth versus absurdity
In the realm of truth versus absurdity, Kemi Badenoch, as Business Secretary, went so far as to claim that shutting down the Port Talbot steelworks was a positive move, rather than recognising it as a disastrous act of economic suicide and a blow to working men.
You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned James Cleverly—well, that’s because, aside from voting for immoral RSE, he has yet to take a definitive stand on anything. So, where do the candidates stand?
Robert Jenrick is staunchly pro-abortion. Tom Tugendhat is both pro-gay and pro-net zero, inviting divine judgement while delivering it in one stroke.
Kemi Badenoch is somewhat pro-life but supports RSE. Mel Stride leans slightly pro-life but is committed to net zero policies. Of the five (now four) who are left, Robert Jenrick is pro-abortion.
The prophet wrote:
Isaiah 59:7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood
The Bible, as you will remember, shows revival depends on the Lord raising up a God-fearing leader, someone like King Josiah.
The UK parliament
In the UK Parliament, neither Sir Keir Starmer nor Sir Ed Davey fits the bill. And despite his charisma and political savvy, Nigel Farage hasn’t yet shown the necessary depth either.
Unless one of them makes a bold and dramatic shift, it seems that none of the current Tory Party leadership contenders grasp the spiritual dimension of the challenges we face.
As the psalmist observed:
Psalm 75:7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
We must also seek the Lord’s guidance, just as King Jehoshaphat did (2Chron 20:12), to understand what action we should take. Perhaps the Lord is calling you to get involved with a rising party and become a prophetic voice within it.
Whatever the case, we invite you to sign our “Doing God” petition below and join us in praying for our leaders and standing for truth, as scripture calls us to do.
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Read and pray
READ: Lev 19:35; Deut 22:05; 2Chron 20:12b; Psa 37:9-10; Isa 33:22 ; Matt 20:26; 1 Corinth 6:9; 1 Peter 5:2-3; Phil 2:3; Jude 1:7.
PRAY: For the repeal of woke laws.
We must pray for a miracle of deliverance, asking the Lord to raise up a leader who truly understands.
Let us know what YOU think in the comments below.
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