ChurchWorks Commissioners Speak to Labour Party

The ChurchWorks Commission was delighted to be invited to the Leader of the Opposition’s Office on Tuesday 14th May to discuss our work with senior figures in the Labour Party. This follows regular meetings and events with senior politicians from the Conservative Government over the past few years.

We were first joined by Marvin Rees, outgoing Mayor of Bristol and now leading a piece of discrete research on the future of Labour’s work with communities. Marvin shared the importance of true and deep collaboration between faith communities and the government to tackle the deeply entrenched issues of class, race and socio-economic inequality. 

Our Commissioners were able to talk about their experience of this first hand from the grassroots work in their churches as well as through our network of more than 4,000 Warm Welcome Spaces. We then agreed on the importance of a genuine two-way relationship between churches and the government that goes beyond transaction, and instead draws on the deep and centuries-old wisdom of the church in tackling social inequality.

We then welcomed Baroness Maeve Sherlock, Shadow Faith Minister. Baroness Sherlock said how encouraged she has been by the formation of ChurchWorks and the coordinated efforts of the church in tackling poverty and loneliness. 

Our Commissioners were then able to speak in more detail about the sheer scale and impact of the work going on in churches, and ask how faith will be acknowledged as a key driver and part of many of the population’s lives in Labour’s manifesto and missions. Baroness Sherlock said the Labour Party has made concerted efforts to build strong and trusted relationships with faith communities in the past two years, and wants to keep the conversation open in the future. 

The possibilities for engaging with politicians from all parties is fundamental to the vision of ChurchWorks. Over the past few years it has been a great encouragement to our Commissioners and the ChurchWorks team that we are increasingly hearing senior politicians talk about the importance of faith and the work of the church for the future of our nation and its most vulnerable communities.

“I’ve never seen anything on this scale, and this coordinated. This is new!” - Baroness Sherlock on the ChurchWorks Commission

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