The LGBT+ group within the Labour Party has called on leaders to stop visiting churches with anti-LGBTQ+ views after Keir Starmer’s second visit over the Easter weekend. In response, LGBT+ Labour recommended that politicians and leaders visit queer-inclusive churches to witness their community and charity outreach work. The group highlighted the need for inclusive churches with a broad spectrum of people and voters to acknowledge Labour as a party of equality and human rights, including LGBTQ+ rights, in its bid to form the next government.
Keir Starmer visited church leaders in Manchester over the Easter weekend to learn about their work supporting people with the cost-of-living crisis and the significance of Easter to Christian communities. In a video shared on his Twitter account, it was noted that he was meeting with Glyn Barrett, a senior pastor at !Audacious Church. Research by PinkNews revealed that Barrett is a national leader of Great Britain’s branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, a member of the Evangelical Alliance council, and a contributor to the anti-gay megachurch Hillsong. The latter has been embroiled in several controversies over its views on LGBTQ+ people, including its rejection of same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage.
In response to Keir Starmer’s visit, LGBT+ Labour issued a statement declaring that “political platforms should never be used to further exclude those already marginalized in faith.” This is not the first time Starmer has visited a contentious religious figure; he visited Jesus House, a church in London with anti-LGBTQ+ views, during Easter 2021 and had to issue an apology after that visit.
Labour has reaffirmed its commitment to banning conversion therapy and is now “aware” of Barrett’s links to Hillsong. The party, however, declined to provide an official comment on the matter. PinkNews has also contacted !Audacious Church and Glyn Barrett for further comment.
Stuart Keir, the chairman of the Audacious Foundation, released a statement to PinkNews on behalf of !Audacious Church, asserting that they “provide practical support to people in need across the community, regardless of background, faith, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality” and do not engage in any coercive or manipulative activities. He also emphasized that !Audacious Church is not affiliated with Hillsong Church.
As the Labour Party seeks to champion LGBTQ+ rights, this incident underscores the need for leaders to be mindful of the message they send by visiting religious figures with anti-LGBTQ+ views. It also highlights the growing importance of queer-inclusive churches in the UK and the need for greater recognition and support of these communities.