Christian Groups 'Annoyed' At Reform Conference Held In Church House
27 February 2026
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Catherine WyattBBC religious affairs
A variety of Christian groups have actually mentioned their "shock and frustration" that Reform UK was enabled to utilize the Church of England's head office for a press conference.
They stated the party's migration policies were opposed to Church beliefs and teachings.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage revealed his new top team at an interview in the Assembly Hall at Church House in Westminster recently.
The celebration stated the criticism was "little more than an inexpensive political stunt".
Church House, whose lettings policy states it does not accept reservations from groups which "promote racial bias", stated it ran on an industrial basis, and was not part of the Church of England.
Christians for a Welcoming Britain said it was "annoyed" that Church House had permitted Reform UK to use the place, and that it created the impression the Church gave its "true blessing" to "hostile policies and divisive rhetoric".
Other organisations and parties - including the Conservatives and Labour - have previously utilized the location, as have Reform numerous times.
But it was their latest event, hosted inside the chamber where the Church of England had just the week before held its national assembly, General Synod, which caused the biggest stir.
Christians from the groups Better Story, Christians Against the Far Right and Christians for a Britain, have composed to Church House to grumble.
In his letter, Reverend Keith Brindle, a Church of England priest in Frome, and planner of Christians Against the Far Right, composed that the location had actually been "used as an ethical backdrop for policies that oppose the very heart of the Christian faith".
He composed: "Church House has offered a veneer of spiritual authenticity to Reform's anti-migrant and anti-Muslim politics, and their negative scapegoating.
"As followers of Jesus, we must decline to let the architecture of our faith be utilized to back the dehumanisation of our neighbours.
"The Church must be a sanctuary for the displaced, not a platform for their expulsion."
At Reform UK's event, Zia Yusuf was revealed as the party's lead on home affairs, with a focus on cutting legal and prohibited migration.
The celebration has considering that revealed plans to create a "UK Deportation Command", a brand-new agency to bring out mass deportations of illegal migrants.
It was not the very first time Church House had actually come under fire for its usage by external organisations.
In late 2020, the location hosted two boxing fights sponsored by online betting firm 32Red.
At the time, critics argued that betting dependency was harmful, and need to not be seen to be promoted by the Church.
Campaigners have actually also previously opposed Royal United Services Institute (Rusi)'s yearly Land Warfare Conference being hosted at the place.
In a declaration to the BBC, Church House stated it accepted "bookings from organisations that fulfill our ethical lettings policy, based on schedule".
The policy specifies that bookings may be denied if "the hirer promotes views which are anathema to the mentors of the Church of England, as may be affirmed by its Synodical or Episcopal declaration from time to time, such as groups which promote racial bias".
A Reform UK representative told the BBC: "This is bit more than an inexpensive political stunt by a group that is totally out of touch with the British public.
"Poll after poll reveals immigration is a leading issue for voters. Attempting to close down dispute on a topic near to voters' hearts is both un-Christian and authoritarian."