Will Andy Burnham stand up for Christians?
Andy Burnham will become UK prime minister amid concerns that recent legal measures may restrict Christian expression. New guidance from the Police Service of Northern Ireland interprets buffer‑zone laws to potentially criminalise carrying Bibles or praying in hospital areas near abortion services. Past prosecutions of a pastor and a prayer activist illustrate the growing legal pressures on religious activities.
- ▪The PSNI’s guidance on buffer‑zone laws suggests that a hospital chaplain could be investigated for carrying a Bible if it is perceived to influence someone seeking an abortion.
- ▪In May 2024, 76‑year‑old pastor Clive Johnston was fined for preaching a Bible verse within a designated buffer zone around a hospital, despite his sermon not mentioning abortion.
- ▪Activist Isabel Vaughan‑Spruce was arrested in 2022 for praying outside a closed clinic, highlighting the use of public space protection orders against religious expression.
- ▪The US State Department called Johnston’s prosecution an ‘egregious violation’ of freedom of expression and religious liberty.
- ▪The UK government’s draft Conversion Practices Bill is also being discussed, adding to concerns about expanding regulation of personal beliefs.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 11 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ Andy Burnham Takes the Stage In GB — RealClear Markets
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| Canonical URL | https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/07/28/will-andy-burnham-stand-up-for-christians/ |
| Publication time | Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:55:52 +0000 |
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Will Andy Burnham stand up for Christians? Britain’s largest faith group has been under legal attack for far too long. i Getty dataLayer.push({ event: 'author', author: "Lois McLatchie" }) Lois McLatchie 28th July 2026 i Getty Share Topics Free Speech Politics UK Want unlimited, ad-free access? Become a spiked supporter. Every incoming British prime minister in recent years has inherited similar challenges: economic stagnation, high immigration, a struggling NHS and an increasingly volatile international scene. But Andy Burnham will also inherit a less familiar problem – namely, the British state’s growing intolerance of ordinary Christian life.
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