On various occasions I had to ask myself recently whether I was living in London in 2022 or 1980s Italy. The soap opera of government crisis and mass resignations wasn’t very British; we pray for stability and integrity in national life.
I have written a book on the religious faith of British prime ministers – up to and including Tony Blair. Therefore, on Thursday I had a BBC journalist asking me whether these difficulties are because recent generations lack a grounding in Christian faith and morals. I think there is something in that. The Labour prime minister Clement Attlee was, at best, an agnostic. Yet his family were committed churchgoers, engaged in social work in the community. A brother was a Church of Anglican vicar, a sister a missionary in Africa. Even when he doubted the doctrine, Attlee continued to believe in Christian ethics. Thanks to his upbringing, Attlee was a fundamentally decent man in private and in public life.
