A LABOUR MP has written to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, asking her to ban the Canadian revivalist Todd Bentley from visiting the UK.

Mr Bentley, the founder of Fresh Fire Ministries (FFM), led the Lakeland Outpouring, in Florida, in 2008 ( Features, 27 February 2009). It emerged subsequently that Mr Bentley had had an adulterous affair, which led to the breakdown of his first marriage.

Mr Bentley is scheduled to speak at Croydon Conference Centre from 30 August to 1 September. The FFM website says that he is also scheduled to speak at events in Ireland, Wales, and Liverpool.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, sent earlier this month, Malcolm Wicks, MP for Croydon North, wrote that Mr Bentley "has been known to physically assault those who come to him for help. I urge you to do all in your power to ban this man from the UK. His visit can do nothing but harm and I would be grateful for any measures you can take."

A video clip posted on YouTube shows Mr Bentley describing how he once kicked a woman in a face during a revival meeting. This, he said, caused her to fall "under the power of God". In another clip, Mr Bentley says that a man was cured of cancer after he punched him in the chest.

Dr Peter May, a Christian GP and former member of the General Synod, told The Mail on Sunday last week: "I'm concerned by Todd Bentley's methods, because a physical injury on any sick person could be very serious. . . There may be people who are Christians who believe their health has been transformed, but I believe Todd Bentley should produce the medical evidence. I would urge people to keep away from him."

FFM was contacted for a comment, but had not responded at the time of going to press. On the Sunday before last, however, Mr Bentley wrote on Twitter that the incident with the woman who was kicked in the face "happened 12 years ago. . . This was one incident and not how we operate at all."

The Glory Company, the Christian organisation that is hosting Mr Bentley's UK tour, said in a statement: "Despite his exterior, tattooed biker-looking ex-lumberjack, he [Mr Bentley] is a believer who knows God can heal through him, and so healings supernaturally happen when Todd prays for people." The last time Mr Bentley visited the UK, he "showed a new level of humility we hadn't witnessed before" and "ministered with integrity and excellence".

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said that it did not comment on individual cases.