Statement Congratulating Theresa May on becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
By Gareth Wallace, Executive Director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship
Wednesday 13th July 2016 has already been dubbed ‘Mayday’ as the United Kingdom welcomes its second female Prime Minister in the form of Theresa May, our hugely experienced Home Secretary.
The Conservative Christian Fellowship are delighted that Mrs May is going to be our next Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Queen’s 13th Prime Minister when she returns from Buckingham Palace to Downing Street.
When she launched her leadership bid Theresa said; “some Politicians seek high office because they are driven by ideological fervor, my reasons are much simpler. I grew up the daughter of a local Vicar, public service has been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember.”
Theresa has never shouted about her Christian faith but it was clearly evident as she spoke fondly about her Vicar Father and her own Christian Faith while choosing Isaac Watt's classic When I Survey the Wondrous Cross as one of her Desert Island Discs.
She continues to be a practicing Anglican but prefers to be modest about her faith: "It is part of me, part of who I am and how I approach things. It’s good that we don’t flaunt such things in British politics."
In my previous job working for The Salvation Army I had the privilege of attending Home Office meetings regarding the contract the Salvation Army held with Mrs May’s Department to assist victims of Modern Slavery.
As part of my role I once attended the local Salvation Army Corps (Church) in her Constituency in Maidenhead to offer my own thanks to the Home Secretary for her work introducing the Modern Slavery Act.
Mrs May was as unassuming and modest as ever; she wanted no public credit for attending a local Church congregation and stayed the length of the service despite not having any speaking role. I reprised my childhood role as a Methodist Minister’s son by helping collect the offering.
I hope it proves to be the first of many occasions that I will be able to enjoy sharing a Church service with our new Prime Minister.
Theresa May’s speech outlining her three main priorities as Conservative Party Leader and Prime Minster included a rousing call for One Nation, Compassionate Conservatism that CCF members will heartily endorse.
“We need a strong, new, and positive vision for the future of our country. A vision of a country that works not for the privileged few but works for every one of us.”
The Conservative Christian Fellowship stands ready to serve our Party and support our new Prime Minister as she takes up the complex political challenges of the historic times in which we live.