Clergy in politics

Intervention by 27 bishops in the debate over welfare has fuelled a fresh round of discussion about the rights and wrongs of clergy getting involved in politics but surprisingly little attention has been paid to the Rev David Critchlaw, who stood in the by election in Wythenshawe as Tory candidate for a seat once held for Labour by the popular Catholic layman, Paul Goggins. There was a time when clergy of the Church of England were not allowed to stand for Parliament and it will be interesting to see how many follow Critchlaw’s example. Roman Catholic clergy are forbidden by their church to hold political office, which is why Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor couldn’t go to the Lords. Critchlaw, who has been ordained for only a short period, fought what the Financial Times described as a ‘lacklustre campaign’. He came third, behind UKIP. His major issue was potholes and litter, probably not the top of the list of concerns for voters who live on one of the biggest housing estates in Europe who are interested in changes to benefits and poverty. The Bishop of Manchester might have had a better result. More evidence of religious allegiance on the right comes from James Macintyre. In an article on Ukip in The Tablet he reveals that Nigel Farage goes to church ‘several times a year’ and can find his way around an Anglo-Catholic service.