Good Friday, 2021, at Jesus House For All Nations church in Brent, north-west London. Face masked, head bowed, hands clasped, Sir Keir Starmer stands alongside Pastor Agu Irukwu. The pastor opens his arms to invoke Almighty God. We hear Starmer in voiceover: ‘From rolling out the vaccine to running the local food bank, Jesus House, like many other churches across the UK, has played a crucial role in meeting the needs of the community.’ A nice video tribute for Easter, this. Good to see churches getting some recognition. A sign, perhaps, of the inclusive national unity a Labour government would foster.
By Easter Monday, Starmer has apologised, deleted the video and more or less vowed never again to darken the door of Pastor Irukwu, who, it has emerged, is an opponent of same-sex marriage. Whoops. Sorry. Didn’t realise it was that kind of church.
Trying to stir a religious impulse in Starmer would be like trying to get
a golden retriever into atonal jazz
‘It was a mistake,’ Starmer declares, ‘and I accept that.’
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