RELIGIOUS freedom campaigners are questioning the new Government’s commitment to promoting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), despite the Prime Minister’s pledging before the election that Labour would “be a champion” of the issue.
In particular, there are concerns about the lack of an announcement of a new Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief — leading to concerns that the position created by Theresa May, in 2018 (News, 2 November 2018), could be downgraded or even scrapped. Four weeks after the election, many new appointments have been announced, but not, when the Church Times went to press, a new special envoy.
One parliamentary source told the Church Times this week that they understood that the Government “was considering downgrading the role by absorbing it into an Envoy on Human Rights, with religious freedom being one of many competing issues — and not reporting to the Prime Minister”. There is also concern that officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) could be lobbying to kill off the position, having never got behind it.
Asked about the future of the special envoy post, a government spokesperson said: “We will continue to use the strength of our global diplomatic network and our position at the UN, G7, and other forums to promote and protect Freedom of Religion or Belief around the world.”
In an interview published on the eve of the General Election, Sir Keir Starmer told Premier Christianity that, if elected, “Labour will be a champion of religious freedom at home and abroad.” He did not reply directly when asked about keeping the position of special envoy, but said: “With a Labour government, the Foreign Office will be proactive in promoting FoRB around the world,” adding that it would work with groups such as the UK FoRB Forum, Christian charities, and advocacy organisations, to reduce persecution.
The founder president of the charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas, told the Church Times: “It is essential the new Government appoints a Special Envoy for FoRB as a matter of urgency, and that it does not absorb it into a wider human rights brief. Where this has been done previously, for example in Canada, it has resulted in FoRB being largely overlooked.
“We also believe the Government should strategically weave FoRB into various aspects of international engagement, including FoRB clauses in trade agreements, and FoRB-focused aid programmes.”
Observers are hoping that an announcement will be made in time for the person appointed to attend an international FoRB conference in October.
Before the election was called, Rishi Sunak’s Special Envoy, Fiona Bruce MP, had introduced a Private Member’s Bill that, if passed, would have made the position of Special Envoy for FoRB permanent, and resourced with staff, accommodation, and allowances. It enjoyed cross-party support.
Making the special envoy position permanent and adequately resourced was a recommendation of a landmark independent review commissioned by the then Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, in 2019. That review found that the persecution of Christians was “primarily a phenomenon of the global poor”, and “has become a bellwether for repression more generally”. The review, authored by the then Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, made 22 recommendations aimed at making FoRB central to UK foreign policy — many of which were implemented or progressed under the previous Government.
On Thursday of last week, Bishop Mounstephen, now Bishop of Winchester, spoke in the Lords urging the Government “to make a fresh and speedy appointment” of a FoRB special envoy and view foreign affairs in a “faith-literate” way.
He argued that violations of FoRB “are a significant driver of displacement . . . leading to immense humanitarian challenges.” He highlighted FoRB elements in the nation-centred belief systems promoted by “overbearing, authoritarian nationalistic governments” in Russia, China, Iran, and India, which, he said, “are bad news for minorities of every sort”.