Christian Leaders Call for Urgent Appointment of Special Envoy for Religious Freedom as UK Risks Losing Global Influence

“I’m very disappointed that an envoy hasn’t been appointed. All my indications are that the government will appoint an envoy, but the important key date is next week where there’s a ministerial conference in Berlin on freedom of religion or belief and where we won’t be represented by an envoy. That is so disappointing, bearing in mind that we’ve had representation at high level at all the ministerial conferences from 2019 onwards. I’m very disappointed that the government hasn’t seen this as urgent enough to appoint one fairly quickly after coming to power.”

Picture: Mervyn Thomas, founder-president of Christian Solidarity

Prominent Christian leaders are urging the UK government to swiftly appoint a new special envoy for freedom of religion or belief, a role left vacant since the July General Election. With the former envoy, Fiona Bruce, no longer in post, Christian advocates are raising concerns that the UK is losing its critical leadership on the global stage in defending religious freedoms.

Mervyn Thomas, founder-president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide and chair of the UK Freedom of Religion or Belief Forum (UK FoRBF), has expressed deep frustration, emphasizing the urgency of the situation ahead of a major international conference on religious freedom in Berlin next week. “It’s disappointing that we won’t have a special envoy at the Berlin conference, especially given our high-level representation at similar events since 2019,” Thomas shared. Despite lobbying Foreign Secretary David Lammy for a swift appointment, no replacement has been announced, leaving many concerned that the UK may lose the momentum and credibility it has worked hard to build in championing religious freedom globally. Bishop of Winchester Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen echoed these sentiments, warning that the absence of an envoy risks undoing years of progress in this critical area of human rights advocacy.