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them clean, and you never know, I might read them out with my panel here on Jubes and Co. We debate, we get stuck into the issues of the day on a show where all views are welcome, especially yours.
Arlene Foster explores faith in UK politics, featuring interviews with MPs on religion's role in public life and society's challenges.
Key Takeaways
- Faith is increasingly visible and influential in UK politics after a period of public reticence.
- Personal religious beliefs of politicians shape their views on key social issues like marriage and abortion.
- Open discussion of faith in politics can foster greater understanding and respect among diverse communities.
- Faith communities play a vital role in social cohesion and addressing humanitarian challenges.
- Religion remains a deeply personal yet public aspect of many politicians' lives and decisions.
Summary
- The video discusses the resurgence of faith and religion in UK public and political life after years of relative silence.
- Arlene Foster interviews parliamentarians, including Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, about their personal faith and its impact on their political careers.
- The program highlights key moments where faith influenced political debates, such as opposition to abortion and traditional marriage.
- It addresses the historical reluctance to discuss religion openly in politics, referencing figures like Tony Blair and Tim Farron.
- The video covers broader societal issues, including the role of faith in addressing conflicts and moral questions.
- It features reflections on how faith communities navigate challenges in modern Britain and the importance of religious identity.
- The program includes news updates on global and national events, tying them to themes of faith and community service.
- Discussions touch on interfaith understanding and the role of religion in promoting social cohesion and addressing persecution.
- The video emphasizes the personal nature of faith for politicians and its influence on their values and public service.
- It concludes with a positive outlook on the future role of faith in politics and public discourse.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and GB News Overview
- 03:55News Highlights: Gaza Violence and UK Incidents
- 08:06Interview with Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg on Catholic Faith
- 11:29Faith in Politics: Challenges and Public Perception
- 18:26Faith and Identity in Public Life
- 27:40Interfaith Relations and Religion's Role in Society
- 42:00Conclusion: The Future of Faith in Politics
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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GB News, the people's channel, Britain's news channel. In the GB Newsroom, we bring you the news as it happens with our team of dedicated journalists across the UK. We're ready to give you accurate reporting every day. When the news breaks,
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we'll be there with bulletins on GB News, the people's channel, Britain's news channel. Your weekend starts here with Friday Night Live with me, Mark Dolan, 8 till 9 on GB News. Big stories, big guests, and big laughs as we get you ready for a
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cracking weekend. That's Friday Night Live with Mark Dolan, Fridays 8 till 9 on GB News. Bring your own drinks, the emissions-free. Good afternoon, Britain. Good afternoon, Britain. Join us, Tom and Emily, to find out what's happening in the
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heart of Westminster and why it matters to you. Weekdays from midday, we bring you the most compelling stories from across the United Kingdom and from your doorstep to our inbox. That's right, we want to hear from you. GB News, Britain's
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news channel. Big news, big debates, big opinion. Patrick Christie's Tonight is the week's biggest chat. Every weekday, 9 to 11 p.m., we've got the inside track on the day's top stories. There'll be sharp takes you won't get anywhere
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else. We will set the news agenda, not just follow it, and I want to bring you along for the ride. Whatever it is, we'll have our finger on the pulse. It's news, but it's this close to entertainment. Patrick Christie's Tonight, 9 till 11:00
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p.m., only on GB News, the people's channel, Britain's news channel. GB News is Britain's news channel, and now you can support it. All you have to do is scan that QR code that's up on your screen right now, or
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you can go to gbnews.com for SLS support and become a GB News member. You'll have fantastic benefits. We're also going to organize special events where you, as GB News members, can meet the presenters, the onscreen faces. Scan the QR code or go to
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gbnews.com/support. Thank you so much. [Music] Good evening, I'm Ray Addison in the GB Newsroom. Our top stories: The King has thanked the nation's volunteers in his Christmas address, describing them as a selfless army. His Majesty said they are
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the essential backbone of our society. He thanked the hundreds of volunteers who attended his coronation in Westminster Abbey earlier this year and said that their presence is a call to all of us to love and care for all on this Christmas
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day. My heart and my thanks go to all who are serving one another, all who are caring for our common home, and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we do not yet
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know. In this way, we bring out the best in ourselves. Pope Francis has described the children caught up in conflicts across the globe as the little Jesuses of today as he condemned the ongoing war in Gaza. Delivering his annual Christmas Day
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address from St. Peter's balcony in the Vatican, he described the attack on Israel by Hamas in October as abominable, but he also said that ongoing strikes on Gaza by Israel were reaping an appalling harvest of innocent people. The Pope's message comes after
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one of the deadliest nights of violence in Gaza, with at least 100 people killed by air strikes. Israel's army said that it's investigating one attack after claims from the Hamas-backed Health Ministry that many of those killed were
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women and children. The Palestinian Red Crescent says that bombings of major roads are complicating efforts to help critically wounded people. Fire crews were called to the office of a Conservative MP last night after a suspected arson attack. Police
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are investigating after Mike Freer's office in North London was partially damaged by the blaze. Mr. Freer told GB News that the response from emergency services was excellent, and luckily no one was in the building at the time. A 16-year-old boy has been arrested
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on suspicion of murder after a woman was stabbed in South London. Officers were called to a home in Berry just after 10:00 on Christmas Eve. They treated a 22-year-old for stab wounds, but she died at the scene. GB News understands that
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the boy was known to the victim. He remains in custody. A man is dead and another in a serious condition after a shooting at a restaurant in Dublin. Police were called to the scene at around 8:00 on Christmas
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Eve and found two men with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to hospital; however, one man in his 20s died from his injuries. Police say they're investigating, but no arrests have yet been made. Ukraine is celebrating Christmas today, the 25th of December, for the first
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time in a landmark change to the country's traditions. The Russian Orthodox Church observes Christmas on the 7th of January, but this is the first time ever that Ukraine has moved away from that. It comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. Ukraine's air defenses
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blocked 28 drone attacks and two missiles overnight. Five civilians were killed, and thousands of people across the country made the most of today's unseasonably mild weather by taking a festive [Applause] dip. Swimmers in Birmingham braved the waters there in hats and costumes at
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Sutton's Park, Blackroot Pool, and members of the Serpentine Swimming Club took part in their annual Peter Pan Cup in Hyde Park. The race has been held every year since 1865. Four, not a chance, TV, online, and DAB plus
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radio. This is GB News. We'll have more news at the top of the next hour. Now, a GB News special, Faiths of the [Music] Nation. When Alistair Campbell was working for the then Prime Minister Tony Blair, he was asked about the Prime
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Minister's faith. He famously replied, "We don't do God." The irony was, of course, that Tony Blair did do God, but for many years after that, faith and religion weren't discussed in the public sphere, and if they were discussed, it was in a
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negative way, such as when Tim Farron had to resign as Liberal Democrat leader because he was a Christian, and indeed the treatment of Kate Forbes when she ran for leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party in Scotland. Now it appears religion is back.
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The Prime Minister is a practicing Hindu and is certainly not afraid to show his faith. I've been speaking with a number of parliamentarians about their faith and religion and how it relates to their public life. I hope you enjoy the
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[Music] interviews. Firstly, I chatted to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg MP. He's the Member of Parliament for Northeast Somerset, a former leader of the House of Commons, and he talked to me about his Catholic faith. Did you come to your faith
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early in life, or is it something that you just fell into?
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Well, I'm very much a cradle Catholic. I was baptized very early on, and my family went to church every Sunday. As a small child, I found this extraordinarily boring and didn't want
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to go, which I found has been true of some of my children as well. Yeah, and then I grew up with it, and it became an increasingly important part of my
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life. And back in 2017, that interview
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that you gave, I think it was to Piers Morgan at the time, when he challenged you about your faith and what you believed in connection with traditional marriage and your opposition to abortion, really brought you to
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prominence nationally around your beliefs,
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yes, which was a surprise because I'd gone into the studio to talk about Brexit. I hadn't expected to talk about faith at all, and I was asked questions, and in a way, I was very lucky
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because I hadn't had any chance to prepare or to think through what I would say if asked about faith because I had been expecting to talk about Brexit. And so I gave a very straightforward immediate answer
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on issues that are of fundamental importance, and I think the life issues, the beginning of natural life at the point of conception through to natural death, are
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really essential to how society operates. But then when you did become a government
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Minister, the challenge was how could somebody be a government minister and hold those views? Except fortunately, I...
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difficulty in discussing faith and it will be part of how people judge me inevitably that my constituents will either be comfortable or uncomfortable with this and when you say judge you I mean sometimes people I find judge people of Faith from whatever ever Faith
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they are um by looking at the extremes of that particular Faith instead of what does this person actually believe do you do you think that's the case inevitably I mean I I think that's very hard on some members of the Muslim Community uh
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who find that they get judged as if they hold very extreme views when the overwhelming majority don't I suppose as a Catholic it's easy because I can just point to Rome and say this is the teaching of the Catholic church it's set
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out here is the catechism of the Catholic Church it is set out this is what the pope has had to say on this issue of faith and morals and so Catholicism is whether or not you think the pope is Extreme which some people
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may do and some people won't do but it's much less my personal view in that sense and I suppose that's the faith isn't it it's more of a collectivism than perhaps protestantism would be yeah that's right that's ABS right that um although the
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Catholic Church very much preaches about free will and the ability of the individual come to um to exercise that free will the tenants the magisterium of the church I said out very clearly mhh and I just wanted to move on then to um
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how you see the relationship between your faith and politics and how it has evolved over your period of time in Parliament you've been in Parliament since 2010 have you seen a change since you went into Parliament for the good or
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for the bad I think there are many more people in Parliament of faith of different kinds than I had expected when I first got elected which interesting and in my view both reassuring that that there are people who have strongly held
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religious beliefs they don't often get asked about them I don't think they're hiding them away so much as the issue hasn't been raised but I've been encouraged by how many people of Faith there are but Faith rarely interferes
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with politics on a day-to-day basis I used to work with an Evangelical Christian who uh when people said to him you need to take your faith out of politics and kept keep the two separate his answer to that was well you simply
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can't because it's who I am uh and it informs my every decision would you agree with that I think it's more nuanced than that that I am who I am and my faith is a very important part of
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that but I see two different sides uh of life really that there is truth with a capital T and what do I mean by that I mean that Christ died to save us and that he rose on the third day and that
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the resurrection is a fact and as St Paul says without the resurrection all we're doing is in vain and that everything about faith flows from that and therefore I'm very happy to accept once you've accepted the miracle of the
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Resurrection then it's easy to accept the other Miracles that have taken place and it's easy to accept the teaching of the church there's then politics and politics is a matter of contention and there isn't truth with a capital T there is my opinion there's
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your opinion well our opinions often Conde but there are varieties of opinion and I can't say that I'm absolutely right on any political aspect in the same way as I can say well there is this great truth and so when you're thinking
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about should petal engines be banned in 2030 I don't think I've got a hot line to God so I don't think that is influenced by by faith although you're quite right who I am as a person is inevitably influenced by faith and the
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last thing I wanted to ask you was we've talked about how um faith has worked through the parliament when you've been in it but how do you see the future I mean we see people of faith in Parliament um there are some who have
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suffered because of their Tim far for example had to step down as liberal Democrat leader because he felt the two conflicted we watched how Kate Forbes was treated in Scotland uh in terms of her faith when she went forward for uh
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the position of first minister of Scotland do you think that in the future people of faith will be put off being involved in politics or do you think there's a space for politics and religion to coexist I think it's very
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important that there is a space I think as a conservative it is much easier yes than it is if you're in the labor party the lib dams or the S&P and obviously if you're with the dup it's part of your
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party that's extraordinary hashin F has lost its Faith correct and has completely abandoned any understanding as far as I can tell of Catholic teaching and certainly is strongly pro-abortion nowadays which I think is very sad and damaging um but I I admire
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Tim faren and Kate Forbes in leftwing parties standing up for their faith and finding that that's very difficult I think the leftwing parties have made a mistake in this great line of Harold Wilson about the labor party owing more
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to methodism than Marxism correct and that used to be one of the labor parties's great strengths and um the labor party particularly in Scotland in Western Scotland had a lot of support from the Catholic church and that link
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has um dissipated because faith has been almost deliberately pushed out and and the aliser Campbell quotation you Ed at the beginning is very important in the conservative party faith is still seen as a noral part of a conservative
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politician's private life and of course uh the Prime Minister now is a practicing Hindu and makes no secret of that indeed when he was in India uh earlier on this year he he was able to pray in public and that's something
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presumably you welcome oh hugely I I think faith is very important I think particularly for politicians in understanding that there is something very much more important than them is Thoroughly beneficial yeah yeah Jak brog thank you so much for joining me great
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pleasure thank [Music] [Music] you good afternoon Britain good afternoon Britain join us Tom and Emily to find out what's happening in the heart of Westminster and why it matters to you week days from midday we bring you the most compelling stories from
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across the United Kingdom and from your doorstep to our inbox that's right we want to hear from you GB news Britain's News Channel wake up to the headlines with Headliners every morning at 5:00 a.m. we treat you to the day's biggest
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stories before anyone else 7 days a week you can catch up on everything you need to know before you've even had your kippers M Headliners every morning at 5:00 a.m. only on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News Channel GB news
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unlike other broadcasters isn't obsessed with the London West bubble we think there's a nation beyond the M25 and that's why we talk about the issues that matter across the land join me on state of the nation 8 to 9:00 Monday to
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Thursday on GB news Daisy's listening and you should too in the GB news room we bring you the news as it happens with our team of dedicated journalists across the UK we're ready to give you accurate reporting every day when the news breaks
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we'll be there with bulletins on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News Channel big news big debate big opinion Patrick chrisy tonight is the week's biggest Chef every weekday 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. we've got the inside track on the
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day's top stories there'll be sharp takes you won't get anywhere else we will set the news agenda not just follow it and I want to bring you along for the ride whatever it is we'll have our finger on the pulse it's news but it's
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this close to entertainment Patrick Ry tonight 9: till 11:00 p.m. a.m. only on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News Channel your weekend starts here with Friday Night Live with me Mark Dolan 89 on GB news big stories big guests and
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big laughs as we get you ready for a cracking weekend that's Friday Night Live with Mark Dolan Fridays 8il 9 on GB news bring your own drinks the emissions free of the usual Focus tested pre-prepared Westminster runaround well
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so am I so you want higher taxes is your department to blame for this are you rethinking this policy every Sunday at 9:30 I'll be sitting down with those in power to get the truth about the issues affecting you let's be honest we've
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known about the cost pressures of this project for years not months that's the Camila tomin show a politics show with personality on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News Channel I'm Andrew Doyle join me at 7:00 every Sunday night for free speech
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Nation the show I tackle the week's biggest stories in politics and current affairs with the help of my two comedian panelists and a variety of special guests Free Speech Nation Sunday nights from 7 on GB news the people's Channel
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Britain's News [Music] Channel I then spoke to khed mmud he's the MP for birmingh and Perry bar and the very first Muslim to be elected in England he spoke to me about his Muslim faith how did you come to your faith was
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it something that was always there because of your family um or is it something you made a conscious decision about I think it was all there because of my family uh in the first instance but I made a real conscious decision uh
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about understanding the principle of my faith yes uh we can practice Faith but I think unless you understand the actual principles of what it's about uh and that I think for me is the key uh the key about doing the right thing in
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humanity uh not being uh overly uh vindictive towards people and doing the best you can in your life and that helped me because the 15 months of selection process that I had which is very difficult I had a huge hostile
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press against me for some reason I don't quite know why uh but what I did was every night and I finished I would go home and say a short prayer uh and then go to bed uh and I felt asleep uh every
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time I went back because I had a clear conscience my job was to do the best I can to make sure I got elected and it was God's job uh to whether he wanted to award me with that or not so Faith
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played an important part in your resilience then to help you to get through those difficult months uh and then you were rewarded by becoming the Member of Parliament back in 2001 so you've been there a long time um have
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you any Recollections of times uh in politics in Parliament where your faith has come into conflict with politics I don't think my faith has come into Conflict at all I am strong uh believer of principles of my faith and I try to
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Adare by them uh because it allows you my faith is not a rigid thing it allows you flexibility uh as long as you're true to your principle and sentiment there are no real objections uh in in terms of Faith so I think when we start
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to put these divides up sometimes there are our own divides or perhaps some sectarian divides within our religion that cause those sort of things but our religion Islam is a very peaceful religion it allows you to sort of do
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what you think is good as long as I said you're not vindictive or nasty towards people that is what the religion is about and you said back in in 2021 um I want Islam recognized as a positive uh
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religion and have you worked hard at that uh over over the years to try and say look some people may not understand my religion but it's something for the good I have I've tried over again what one of the slight conflicts I have in
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Parliament is with the all party parliamentary group on islamophobia uh which you'd find a contradiction with but I believe that some of the things they're looking at are very negative in relation to the religion rather than the positives sure
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that there are in religion you know we have huge Heritage uh in Islam of learning of Medicine of arithmetic of architecture uh huge Heritage of all that and when why should we try and narrow that down uh to Something That
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We're Not uh and and that's what Islam is to me is about so in terms of trying to do something in Parliament if you want a particular issue to be dealt with rather than islamophobia I would simply say Muslim hatred yes and legislate for
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that but not have these things which actually have no uh conclusion to them but really Rial people in the wrong sense and and and some people trying to put that together to push young people away from the mainstream community that
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is my objection in Islam yeah so you would much rather um have a positive group of people coming together to understand what Islam is about rather than being negative in terms of what people are against um and I think that's
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very interesting because sometimes uh people of Faith Like ourselves are defined by the extremes of their religion and you've spoken about that in Parliament haven't you I've from the day day one because part of my job as a
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Muslim labor mp uh and when I first got on people were saying a Muslim MP I said I'm a labor MP who proud to be Muslim yes and that's what I've always taken because my part is there and my religion
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is there as well so the two have to be together in order to do what I'm doing but the key thing about that is reflecting the positive of integration of religion and particularly about the three great religions the abrahamic
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faiths uh that exist there shouldn't be tension amongst us in terms of religion there may be in terms of politics there may be political disagreements that we have but in terms of our religion we're so bound together that there is no
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divide in terms of that so what we've got to look at if there are political issues let's deal with those but not call people kufar because they either Christians or Jewish or different heritages within uh different seian groups within Islam let's not do that
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let's be positive about it let's share because we have a huge Heritage share history amongst all of it I mean it started off our religion starts off with Judaism and Carries On Through Christianity right across to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him so it
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encompasses all that so why we're looking for divides when there's so much to unite us and you've spoken about integration and you feel sometimes that government policies don't allow integration to happen is not the case yes and I I think what we've got to do
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when when those sort of things happen uh is not isolate communities uh and and you can do that different ways you can do that by different types of funding for different communities uh and that segregates and what that enables people
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at the ground who want to do that to build empires in their own little backyard essentially is to get more money and grow vertically what I want us to do in communities is to grow laterally to Encompass all the people
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together and leave us communities together there's so much we can share amongst all of us which is good I I have a huge uh seek contingency in my my in my constituency I got very well with them uh we have a great to share I go to
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the garas we speak about issues that are important and people always say well religion is no good because it creates division religion doesn't create divisions correct it's us who we create divisions yeah no that is correct and during your time in Parliament and
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you've been there for 22 years now have you seen the attitude change in relation to religion and politics or has it I mean you came in as the first Muslim MP in England you must have seen things change over that period of time well
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came in just before 911 happened oh goodness right uh and so that was a huge shock uh and I had to stand up for my first speech essentially in in Parliament oh uh and say that this is not of Islam MH Islam is a peaceful
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religion these people who do this for their own Ends don't reflect the religion of Islam and I think I've always stood by that when different groups come in uh as I've said in terms of islamophobia and some of the people
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behind that uh where they're trying particularly some of the organizations uh where they're trying to segregate people of to Islam and Judaism Christianity and then obviously seism and all the other religions uh that are different everybody has a choice in
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religion it's your faith special to you and you should keep that but let other people live back in Tony Blair's time aliser Campbell said we don't do God and uh that caused for a long time people didn't talk about faith in politics I
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think that's slightly changing now uh and it's a good thing that people feel free to say who they are uh and we've seen the Prime Minister uh go to pre uh in terms of his Hindu religion um and
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other people like Tim faren and Kate Forbes have suffered because of declaring their religion do you think in the future that religion of whatever faith has a role to play in British politics I think religion always has a
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role to play Because it's what you are yeah whatever religion you are it's what you are and if you're not faithful to the one thing that you hold dear how can you be faithful to anything else that's the real connection we got to ask
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ourselves so you can't shove aside religion Tony Blair analist who said we don't do God Blair did yes that's the point Blair totally did yes and so therefore saying that is not really exactly correct but of course we have to
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remain if you remain true to who we are in our religion in our thoughts then we must be true to our people as well when we're elected yeah yeah KH mmud thank you so much for joining me thank you
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very thank [Music] [Music] you your weekend starts here with Friday Night Live with me Mark Dolan 8 till 9 on GB news big stories big guests and big laughs as we get you ready for a cracking weekend that's Friday Night
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Live with Mark Dolan Fridays 88 till 9: on GB news bring your own drinks the emissions free wake up to the headlines with Headliners every morning at 5:00 a.m. we treat you to the day's biggest stories before anyone else 7 days a week you can
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catch up on everything you need to know before you've even had your kippers M Headliners every morning at 5:00 a.m.
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only on GB news the people's channel breton's news channel in the GB Newsroom we bring you the news as it happens with our team of dedicated journalists across the UK we're ready to give you accurate reporting every day when the news breaks
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we'll be there with bulletins on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News Channel big news big debates big opinion Patrick chrisy tonight is the week's biggest Che every weekday 9: to 11: p.m.
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we've got the inside track on the day's top stories there'll be sharp takes you won't get anywhere else we will set the news agenda not just follow it and I want to bring you along for the ride whatever it is we'll have our finger on
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the pulse it's news but it's this close to entertainment Patrick Christy tonight 9: till 11:00 p.m. only on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News Channel good afternoon Britain good afternoon Britain join us Tom and Emily to find out what's happening in the
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heart of Westminster and why it matters to you weekdays from midday we bring you the most compelling stories from across the United United Kingdom and from your doorstep to our inbox that's right we want to hear from you GB news Britain's
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News Channel GB news unlike other broadcasters isn't obsessed with the London Westminster bubble we think there's a nation beyond the M25 and that's why we talk about the issues that matter across the land join me on state of the nation 8 to 9:00 Monday to
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Thursday on GB news Daisy's listening and you should too I'm Andrew Doyle join me at 7:00 every Sunday night for free speech Nation the show I tackle the week's biggest stories in politics and current affairs with the help of my two
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comedian panelists and a variety of special guests Free Speech Nation Sunday nights from 7 on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News Channel GB news is Britain's News Channel and now you can support it all you have to do is
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scan that QR code that's up on your screen right now or you can go to gbwc support and become a GB news member you'll have fantastic benefits we're also going to organize special events where you as GB news members can meet
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the presenters the onscreen faces scan the QR code or go to dnews.com ssupport thank you so [Music] much I then chatted with Lord wol of traiger he's a conservative peer and also a commercial lawyer he told me about his Jewish faith tell us about why
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you chose Tri dier as your title for the House of Lords well I mean like many uh Jews in this country uh I'm a relatively recent arrival in the sense that all of my great-grandparents were born abroad in my case in Eastern Europe well my
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grandparents were born here and on my father's side uh my great-grandfather ended up in TOA in South Wales and there were lots of small Jewish communities in South Wales at the time South Wales was quite a booming area economically uh
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these immigrants found a place to work but I think there was more to it than that and I think religion played a part in in this sense both the methodists of South Wales and the Jews were non-conformists true it wasn't an
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established church they both loved their Bible they both prayed in very informal set UPS in small congregations and I think there was a natural Affinity so when it came to choosing a title I wanted to remember a place that gave my
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family Refuge um there there was a famous blip in 1911 there was actually a riot in tra but we remember that because it was the exception that the Jews in South Wales had a long history it was a
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welcoming place for them and I wanted to recognize that when I chose my title and history is very important to the to the Jewish fa faith and you've recognized that with your title but tell us how you came to Faith obviously your family is
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from a Jewish background but did you make a conscious decision as well to continue in that faith I suppose it's a mix isn't it I mean for me Faith was a form of Osmosis I grew up in it yes and
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the Jewish faith perhaps especially so because in the Jewish faith going to synagogue for example is part of it but really festivals are celebrated at home the Sabbath is uh marked at home uh the food you eat if you're eating kosher
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food that's made at home and served at home so the religion is very much more homebased and communitybased rather than just based in a synagogue or other religious building so I grew up with it and it um it really became part of me of
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course when you get older you can choose what you're going to keep what you're not going to keep um Jonathan Sach the late chief Rabbi once said when it comes to religion uh by some miracle of cognitive geometry great phrase
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everybody thinks they're in the middle of the line so people choose where to place themselves in the line between completely non-observant and very observant but it's something I grew up with and I've always been very comfortable with and I find it
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interesting because uh Judaism a bit like Catholicism you have cultural Jews and you have religious Jews and and again with Catholics you have cultural Catholics they grew up as Catholics but don't really observe uh the faith anymore um do you think that there's a
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battle between cultural Judaism and religious Judaism I wouldn't say it's a battle um I mean Judaism you're absolutely right is a religion it's a people it's a culture um it's an ethnicity in English law it's all of these things and so you
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can have as you say religious Jews you can have cultural Jews uh you can have what I uh often call cardiac Jews the people who feel Jewish in their heart and they cardiac Jews and I mean the space for everybody
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I often use the example of a family the the the Jewish people is a family and you may not agree with the way your second cousin lives their life but because you're a family because you're part of the same family you need to
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maintain a connection and I think that's the important thing to maintain a connection to be to be Jewish is to be part of an ongoing conversation which has resounded through the generations and you're a lawyer by profession um and then you were
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appointed to the house of Lords back in 2020 um how does your faith Jael with both of those areas your professional life and your life now as a politician in the House of Lords well in my professional life um I mean I've never
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found any conflict uh between my faith and my professional work the the such conflict as there is is really a diary conflict so on Friday afternoons in Winter I would leave early if I get stuck in court I walk home because I
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don't take transport on on Shabbat on the Sabbath um I don't appear in court uh when it's a high holy day or or or something like that but I've never found any antagonism or and you've been able to manage that absolutely absolutely and
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I think I I recognize that it's different for me than it was for Jews two or three generations ago um and I also acknowledge that there were other uh minorities whether religious or other minorities who even today may not find
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it as easy as as I found it and I think one of the the lessons if you're from any sort of minority is to look out for the problems that other minorities may still be having which your own Community perhaps has overcome
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so in my professional life I've never found it a any sort of a problem neither in political life um I mean I do change things where um I feel I ought to so for example uh when I was sworn in uh to the
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House of Lords I took the oath obviously on a Hebrew Bible which I brought in in fact I brought my grand father's old Bible which he had used iniga when he was a little boy so that that that
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really maintained a connection which was nice and when I spoke for example when uh her late Majesty had passed away uh I gave a speech which was very much a speech from a Jewish perspective yes uh and for that I wore a Kea I don't
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normally wear a Kea in the House of Lords for at work but I felt because I was speaking as a Jew and my speech was inherently Jewish in content I should acknowledge that and also acknowledge that we live in a
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country where you can stand up in Parliament wearing wearing a Kar and I that's something my mother all Jews listen to their mothers my mother was very focused on she said you know you should show people that this is the sort
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of country over which her late Majesty ruled uh and Jewish history shows that's not always something you should take for granted no absolutely and I wanted to talk to you about religion and politics obviously because back in the late 1990s
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early 2000s you'll remember that a certain spin doctor said that we don't do god um and of course the irony was his boss did do good but he he wasn't allowed to to speak about it I mean I I
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get the sense now that people are more comfortable to speak about their religion obviously there's exceptions to that when I look at Tim faren and the fact that he had to walk away from being the leader of the liberal Democrats and
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kit Forbes in Scotland had a particularly tough time uh as well but you feel comfortable when you put on the traditional dress and and speak as a Jew you feel you can do that very openly absolutely um I mean I think perhaps the
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most important thing in politics is authenticity yes I mean you have to be who you are and I I would draw this distinction when I come to politics in fact when I come to anything I bring who I am and being Jewish is part of who I
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am it's not the totality of who I am but it's an important part of who I am what I think think I would guard against is allowing R religion to become politicized yes and the way I would put
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it is perhaps this way in the 20th century what we saw was communism took the system fascism took the nation and B made both into a religion the danger for the 21st century is taking religion and allowing that to
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become politicized we shouldn't allow politics to be over swept with religion and to make Society or the nation a sort of a religious object of veneration like the Communists and the fascists do but equally we should make sure that
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religion itself doesn't become politicized that's different however from making sure that there is certainly a space for religious people in politics yeah and how do you feel then uh David if I may uh about the established church in England because I'm from Northern
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Ireland we don't have an established church haven't had since 1867 I think it was back in the time that Ireland was uh one jurisdiction but here in England we have an established church I am an Anglican so it's of no difficulty for me
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but I'm just wondering when you're in the House of Lords and we're in a place where the Bishops have a particular role how do you feel about that well I mean I my my immediate reaction is often to say
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um I don't want to get into uh conflicts of other religions on the established church I am actually a big fan I have a theory and I think it's proved by the history of Jews in this country that
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when you have an established church minority faiths often do better that's why because there is a acknowledgment of the importance of religion in society religious minorities often not always but often Fair better in in societies where religion is
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valued rather than in avowedly secular societies MH and I I would say even the United States is an example of that because even though in the United States there is a legal separation of church and state it's actually a very religious
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Society in many many ways but look moving forward to the future and we'll end on this Deber do you see a positive role for faith in politics in the future and in the public sphere as well because of course you're in legal um uh
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profession do you see a role for people of Faith within UK generally absolutely and I think also it's not as Z some game I can practice my faith you can practice yours there is space for both of us um you know we don't need to
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compete in that sense there's space for everybody and I think that's a wonderful message actually for society to have if I have one complaint about this country it's that we're not proud enough of what we've achieved absolutely you know we
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are a tremendously tolerant Society we found a place for different people from different backgrounds and different religions uh again to quote Jonathan sax his wonderful phrase was that this is a country in the Hebrew it's a meded a kingdom of kindness and I think
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really that that's what it is and the the history of my family in the UK is is Testament to that Lord David wolson of trer thank you so much for joining me thank you for having [Music] me [Music]
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join us every night on GB news at 11:00 p.m. for Headliners which is three top comedians going through the next day's news stories which is exactly what you need because when the establishment has gone crazy you need some craziness to
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people's Channel Britain's News Channel your weekend starts here with Friday Night Live with me Mark Dolan 8 till 9 on GB news big stories big guests and big laughs as we get you ready for a cracking weekend that's Friday Night
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Live with Mark Dolan Fridays 8 till 9: on GB news bring your own drinks the emissions free big news big debate big opinion Patrick Christie's tonight is the week's biggest Che every weekday 9: to 11:00 p.m. we've got the inside track on the
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day's top stories there'll be sharp takes you won't get anywhere else we will set the news agenda not just follow it and I want to bring you along for the ride whatever it is we'll have our finger on the pulse it's news but it's
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this close to entertainment Patrick Christie tonight 9 till 11:00 p.m. only on GB news the people's Channel Britain's News [Music] Channel I then spoke to somebody I know very well Sir Jeffrey Donaldson mp uh has been uh the Member of Parliament for
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Lagan Valley in Northern Ireland since 1997 and he's now the leader of the democratic unionist party in Northern Ireland he sat down and spoke to me about his Evangelical Christian faith faith has always been very important to you tell us about how you came to Faith
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well Arley and I grew up in the Presbyterian Church uh in my hometown and um every Sunday we would go to Sunday school and church I was um member of the boys Brigade that was a very important part of my childhood
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experience not just just for the the weekly meetings that we went to but also a lot of my outdoor activity I lived in the shadow of the mour mountains in County down and you know there were every month we would have been up in the
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MS climbing camping out over the weekend with the boys Brigade um and I always remember the motto of the boys Brigade which um in later life um I came to understand more fully which is steadfast andur it's uh out of that Christian him
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will your anchor hold in the storms of life and in politics I have found that having a a strong Christian faith has helped to Anchor me um in the storms of politics um and and so from my childhood
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days right through to uh my career in politics uh my faith has been very important uh I came to Faith I became a Christian uh back in 1989 um and uh that was for me a life-changing experience and you've been
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in politics a long time Jeffrey you've been an MP for over 25 years um how do you think that Faith which you've articulated informs your daily um I was going to say daily struggle with politics your daily service in politics
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because politics is a tough game and there are many who don't share your faith in politics it's been very important for me Arling and you and I both come from Northern Ireland we both shared experiences of of what we call
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the troubles and the impact that had on our families and on our lives and on our childhood um and there's no doubt um that leaves its mark on you um and it it is very easy when you've experienced the
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kind of violence that we saw in Northern Ireland um losing loved ones losing people that you knew your neighbors and Friends people that you grew up with it it's very easy to become embittered and and to hold those feelings and those um
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that sense of loss defining who you are I think the real value of for me of my Christian faith um is is that it helps you to come to terms with all of that it helps you to work your way through it um
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and and you know as someone now in in leadership as you have been um and not just as a public representative but leading a party that brings real challenges with it too and you're constantly dealing with people politics
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is a is is a profession that very much involves dealing with people people with different perspectives a different view on life people with a different Faith perspective or none um and I think that uh you know my Christian faith has
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influenced the way that I interact with others um it has helped me through difficult and challenging times not least in Northern Ireland um it's helped me to have a sense of perspective to keep focused on what the what is really
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important uh in in life and of course it appro it it influences your approach um as well on The Wider policies and challenges that we face in politics today the social issues that impact on us and I think that you know the idea
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that a politician who has a faith perspective can somehow divorce that Faith perspective from their politics I think doesn't feels to understand what is at the heart of faith and it's interesting you mentioned that because you will know that a lot of people and
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I've had it said to me you've had it said to you uh that you should leave your religion outside the door and just deal with politics but that's a misunderstanding of what faith is about isn't it well I mean Faith goes to your
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very being it it it defines you in so many ways uh and to give you an example when I'm going into difficult meetings um uh uh you know where I know that you know there will be disagreements differences um some of them fundamental
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I just find that you know how um saying a prayer before you go into a difficult meeting um has a you know a very profound impact on the way that you conduct yourself um going in to do a difficult interview
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with the media for example you know just taking time out to pray gives you a sense of calm a sense of Peace um and and I think you know that that helps so faith has an impact at that level but it
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also has an impact on how you relate to other people it has an impact on how you approach issues because it's at the core of the values um and your sense of what life is about and so for a lot of people
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who don't have a faith they they look at conflicts across the world including in Northern Ireland and they will say religion is at the heart of that conflict um and and they will look at the negative aspects of that instead of
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looking at some of the things you've talked about service tolerance caring for other people how do you have that conversation with those people who don't have a faith that actually having a Christian faith in your instance is a good thing for
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politic well you're absolutely right Arley I mean if you look at some of the major conflicts in the world particularly protracted conflicts Northern Ireland I think was was a protracted conflict it lasted for over 30 years we look at the
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Dreadful situation that has developed in the Middle East and and you can see religious perspectives there is a religious Dimension involved there people of different faiths but but you know at the heart of the Christian faith is the concept that you should you know
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love your God and love your neighbor um and and and that you know Christianity is fundamentally about peace it's about an inner peace it's about a personal peace but it's also about promoting at peace that the being uh uh and wanting
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to live uh at peace with your neighbor so you know I think that Faith a faith approach to politics can have a very positive impact but there is no doubt at times there are people who use Faith as
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as a a kind of a divisive um issue um and they weave it in with politics but in Northern Ireland our conflict was not about religion it wasn't about what church you go to on a Sunday or what
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your core values and beliefs are it was essentially around the question to wh which state do you belong it was about identity moving into the fabric of that of course is what people call religion but but I prepare prefer to uh to talk
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about my faith when people ask me what religion are you I mean I'm a Christian but I it that is my faith that's that's what what I believe in those are the values I seek um to follow um and and so
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I think it's it it and and you know one of the impacts I think Arlene of this narrative that you you should separate faith and religion from politics is that I find increasingly the the Christian church is dissuaded is reluctant to get involved
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in debate in the Public Square these days um and I think that is something that we've lost I think that that Christian influence in our nation today in public discourse um is so very important and yet very often it's absent
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and very often the church feels that it shouldn't raise its voice and because um it at times it faces a lot of aggression these days and and you will know uh our Monarch the King has very much um taken
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on a role of multifaith being important um in the United Kingdom and and a range of faiths and he's engaged with a range of faiths and likewise in Parliament now there's not just Christian members of parliament there are prime ministers a
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Hindu there are siks Muslims uh people from Jewish background I mean how do you think faith will uh over the next 25 years you have been 25 years in mp 26 years how how do you see Faith having a
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role over the next 25 years do you think it will still be important the people of Faith are involved in the Public Square yes I absolutely do and as you know as a Christian uh I believe very much in in what Jesus
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talked about being Salt and Light yes um and I think it's really important that people who are Christian uh or have another Faith perspective should be involved in politics and and one of the the positive things Arling about um a
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more diverse Parliament is that um we're exploring our Common Ground so for example on freedom of religion or belief we have an all party group in Parliament that reflects many different Faith perspectives and our objective is promote to promote tolerance and respect
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across um the different faiths and across the world to tackle persecution and whether that is the persecution of the the mus Muslim majority in some countries or the Christian uh minority in other countries that that very often faith-based minorities find themselves
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the subject of persecution um uh of discrimination um and to see their their um freedoms undermined and and therefore I think there is Common Ground in terms of working together to ensure that where people hold a strong faith-based
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perspective on life that they should have the right to do so and the right to to worship according to their their Creed and their belief Sir Jeffrey Johnson thank you very [Music] much a brighter Outlook with box solar
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sponsors of weather on GB news hello there I'm Greg gurst and welcome to your latest update well the rain finally moves away for most of us we go into Boxing Day plenty of dry weather sunny spells and feeling a
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little bit more festive so that that's because this area of low pressure moves out the way and we get a brief Ridge of high pressure they notice how rain quickly moves back into the Southwest by the afternoon the evening time plenty of
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rain still across England and Wales but this does move away as we head into the early hours showers across Northern Ireland Northern England and Scotland but even these start to fade away plenty of clear spells to come and that will
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allow temperatures to dip blower than they have done of late so a little chillier to start Boxing Day morning some Icy stretches possible particularly across Northern Scotland where we'll continue to see some winry showers feed in through the north but for most Boxing
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Day plenty of sunshine a great day to be outside though the cloud thickening from the southwest and this will bring rain into parts of Devon and Cornwall as we move through the afternoon slowly spreading its way northeastwards as we
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move through into the evening time temperature wise a little bit more festive generally 2 to 5 Celsius across the north of the UK 7 to1 in the South so still a little above average in the South and a quick look at Wednesday
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while we're back to the wet and windy weather sweeping across the UK strong winds outbreaks of snow across the higher ground of Scotland too so do take care if you're tra traving on Wednesday and it stays unsettle through Thursday
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and Friday as well and temperatures on the mild side that warm feeling inside from boxed boilers sponsors of weather on GB [Music] news what you get from breakfast is something that if we do our jobs right you will wake up to news that you didn't
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know the night before it's a conversation it's not just just me and Aon we want to get to know you and we want you to get to know us from 600 is breakfast with Aon and Isabelle Monday to Thursdays on GB news Britain's News
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this Saturday night Showdown is your front row ticket to the clown show every Saturday only on GB news the people's channnel Britain's News Channel your weekend starts here with Friday Night Live with me Mark Dolan 8 till 9 on GB news big stories big guests
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and big laughs as we get you ready for a cracking weekend that's Friday Night Live with Mark Dolan Friday at 8 till 9 on GB news bring your own drinks the emissions free
Topics:faith in politicsArlene FosterJacob Rees-MoggUK parliamentreligion and public lifeCatholic faithChristianity in UKfaith and societyGB Newspolitical interviews
