A Reform government would move to give churches protected status to ensure they are not turned into mosques.The party’s new home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, plans to “restore Britain’s Christian heritage” by enacting mass deportations of illegal migrants and persuading British expats to return to the country.He said renewing Britain’s Christian faith was imperative to restoring “cultural meaning” among young people and men in particular.Mr Yusuf, a practicing Muslim, told The Telegraph his first move would be to grant immediate and automatic listed status to churches across the UK.
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This means alterations affecting their historic character would be banned.Nigel Farage’s party would also establish a new class for churches that would prevent them from being converted into places of worship for other religions.Places of worship in England do not currently fall under the F1 use class – changes within this class do not require planning permission.Mr Yusuf fears churches are increasingly being converted into mosques, and says he has been inundated with emails from “anxious residents” across the UK about the trend.One recent case is the Georgian church of St John’s Hanley in Staffordshire, where a row erupted after Stoke-on-Trent council approved planning permission.A restrictive covenant was placed on the church when the site was sold in 2009, which meant the Church of England was able to intervene.Mr Yusuf said: “Regardless of whether somebody is of faith or not, or which faith they follow, I think the Christian heritage of this country is very important and protecting our heritage and our culture is important, otherwise the country is not a country, it’s just an economic zone.“And so, as one step in pursuit of that, we will end the incendiary practice of converting churches into mosques or any other places of worship by granting listed status automatically to all churches and prohibiting that.”LATEST DEVELOPMENTSRobert Jenrick slaps down Reform ‘infighting’ claims after beating Nigel Farage loyalists to top jobPolice accused of ‘turning blind eye’ as Sharia courts run rife and honour crimes go unpunishedReform MP chastises Labour for Chagos ’embarrassment’ before ‘blocking’ Nigel Farage aid missionYouGov data last year showed an uptick in young Britons regularly attending church.Since being freed from lockdown, young people have increasingly found faith in both God and the Church.YouGov’s bi-annual tracking data points to a significant shift in religious belief, particularly among younger adults. In the 18–24 age group, the share who say they believe in God has almost tripled in just over three years, rising from 16 per cent in August 2021 to 45 per cent by January 2025.Among those aged 25 to 49, the increase has been less dramatic but still substantial, with belief growing from 21 per cent to 33 per cent over the same period.Signs of renewed engagement can also be seen in church attendance. Two YouGov surveys, conducted in 2018 and 2024, suggest a 56 per cent increase in the proportion of UK adults who attend church at least once a month.Mr Yusuf told The Telegraph he would like to see the trend go further and encourage even more people to attend church.He said: “I would argue there is a crisis of meaning culturally, particularly among men and young people.“I do think a sense of belief in God and patriotism, while they’re not necessarily the same thing – I think there is some connection there.”The number of people who describe themselves as Christian in England and Wales fell below half of the population for the first time in the last census.There was, however, a rise in the number of people describing themselves as Muslims, by 44 per cent to 3.9 million in the last census.The number of people identifying as Hindus also rose by 22 per cent to one million.Mr Yusuf added: “I think if politicians play their part, then I’m optimistic that over time … they will have more things to take pride in as they are made to feel proud of their history again, rather than being taught that they should be ashamed of [it].”
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