THE use of Church House, Westminster, for a Reform UK press conference, was condemned by Church of England clergy last week.
Canon Dr Keith Brindle, who works at Dorothy House Hospice Care and co-ordinates Christians Against the Far Right, described the event as “a cynical attempt currently underway to dress nationalism in the robes of the Church”.
He said: “By opening its doors to an agenda of hostility, Church House has provided a veneer of spiritual legitimacy to Reform’s anti-migrant and anti-Muslim politics, and their cynical scapegoating.
“As followers of Jesus, we must refuse to let the architecture of our faith be used to endorse the dehumanisation of our neighbours. The Church must be a sanctuary for the displaced, not a platform for their expulsion.”
The conference centre was used by Reform UK on 17 February for a press conference, at which the party’s “shadow cabinet” was announced (News, 18 February).
The Revd William Hogg, a retired priest in Scotland, wrote to the Church Times to say that he had been “shocked” (Letters, 27 February). “I thought that there was an understanding, or unwritten rule, that church buildings should not be used for party-political purposes, except, perhaps, at election time, for cross-party hustings to which all candidates are invited and given an equal chance to speak, and the public are encouraged to ask questions. . .
“Reform UK has often denied accusations of racism and even disciplined members for overtly racist remarks, but its positions on immigration and welfare issues are, to say the least, highly controversial. It seems to me extremely unsuitable for any Church to give a platform to such a one-sided event.”
Gill Davis, a deanery synod member in the diocese of Hereford, wrote to Church House last week, referring to the venue’s ethical lettings policy, which “says that a letting will not be accepted if the hirer promotes views which are anathema to the teachings of the Church of England.
“I feel that the policies of Reform UK are contrary to the basic Christian commandment of ‘Love thy neighbour’. Their policies include leaving the European Court of Human Rights, repealing the Human Rights Act, to ensure that illegal immigrants can be deported and will be ineligible for asylum.”
Church House, Westminster, is a wholly-owned trading subsidiary of the Corporation of Church House, a charity founded in 1888 to own and maintain a building for the use of the National Church Institutions (NCIs). Since 2018, it has been permitted to make grants for the benefits of the NCIs, totalling £8.62 million to date.
Its ethical lettings policy states that the Corporation will “seek to guard against reputational risk to the Church of England or the Corporation”, and “reserves the right to refuse any bookings which would be contrary to the witness and mission of the Church of England”.
On Monday, the chief executive of the Corporation, Stephanie Maurel, said that the conference centre was “an independent commercial entity and is not part of the Church of England”. It “operates on a commercial basis, accepting bookings from organisations that meet our ethical lettings policy, subject to availability”, and “hosts a wide range of clients and events each year, including organisations from across the political spectrum, charities, companies, and the public sector”.
A review of the lettings policy was conducted by Dr Oliver O’Donovan, Emeritus Professor of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology, at the University of Edinburgh, in 2019 in the wake of criticism of the hiring out of Church House conference centre for the annual Land Warfare Conference, (News, 2 August 2019). The review was not made public, but a passage appended to the policy states: “The Church is free to use prudence in avoiding unnecessary occasions for criticism and confusion of its witness.”
In addition to hosting the General Synod, Church House is a popular conference venue that has been used for many years by political parties. In 2024, the Labour Party held its first full meeting after the General Election at Church House.
In January, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, delivered a speech at the venue, which included a reminder of the party’s plans to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and repeal the Climate Change Act.
Before its February meeting, Reform UK had set out plans to scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain and rescind existing awards. Migrants — including those already in the UK — would have to apply for a new visa every five years, it said. The party has also proposed to bar anyone other than British citizens from accessing welfare.
Like the Conservatives, Reform UK has pledged to have the UK leave the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act, with plans to “withdraw from or disapply every international treaty that prevents this country from being able to secure its borders”, and establish a five-year emergency programme “to identify, detain, and deport illegal migrants in the UK”.
While Reform UK has set out the toughest plans to date, both the Conservative and Labour parties have promised radical reforms to the immigration and asylum architecture. The Conservative Party has announced plans to establish a “Removals Force” based on the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Institute for Government has suggested that these plans would “prohibit those who enter the UK through irregular migration from ever claiming asylum and restrict refugee status to only those threatened by a foreign government”.
In November, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, set out “the most sweeping asylum reforms in modern times” (News, 19 November 2025), stating that the UK had become “the destination of choice in Europe, clearly visible to every people smuggler and would-be illegal migrant across the world” and had been “unwilling to show the necessary toughness or resolve to assert our right to return those with no right to be here”.
Among the policies she announced was that refugee status would become temporary — “lasting only until a refugee can safely return home” — and that the automatic right to family reunion would come to an end. Ms Mahmood has also set out stricter conditions for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), including “being in work; making national insurance contributions; not taking a penny in benefits; learning English to a high standard; having no criminal record; and, finally, that you have truly given back to your community, such as by volunteering your time to a local cause”.
Bishops have criticised the Government’s plans. The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Deqhani, suggested that they “appear to scapegoat refugees for the generally poor state of public finances and public services”. The Lords Spiritual have supported a number of amendments to the Government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
Last week, the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, repeated his earlier criticism of the bishops. He said: “I think they’ve got a rather twisted view of what their flock in this country actually want them to do, and we are completely open to genuine refugees.
“They must have their heads in the sand, these bishops, if they cannot see that aggressive young males chucking their iPhones and passports into the English Channel at the 12-mile line so we can’t find out who they are — if they don’t understand that that is a threat to our country, then, frankly, they’re not doing a very good job.”
A Reform UK spokesperson told the BBC that complaints about the venue were “little more than a cheap political stunt by a group that is completely out of touch with the British public. Poll after poll shows immigration is a top issue for voters. Attempting to shut down debate on a topic close to voters’ hearts is both unChristian and authoritarian.”
The latest tracker from YouGov found that immigration topped the list of the “most important issues facing the country”, with 48 per cent of respondents selecting it. For the past year, Reform UK has led in voting intention polls.
