Christian networks urge new PM to prioritise peace

Houses of Parliament: ICN/JS

Nine different Christian networks and churches have written to Andy Burnham on the day he takes office as Prime Minister.

Their letter calls on the new Prime Minister to prioritise peace, sustainable economics and tackling root causes of social unrest.

It highlights challenges of war and climate change that will frame Mr Burnham's term, and encourages him to strike out on a different path to one seen under the previous Prime Minister.

The letter urges peace and diplomacy as being the guiding focus on Foreign Policy, not an 'afterthought' to 'military might and deterrence'. It highlights the vital role the UK will have in electing a new Secretary General of the United Nations. It calls for a new 'Economic Direction' moving away from an arms-industry led model of growth and instead to move to one that prioritises activities that contribute to the common good. It then urges the Prime Minister to not 'scapegoat' migrants and refugees and instead to tackle the 'economic inequality' that sits at the root of much social unrest.

John Cooper, Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, who co-ordinated the letter said "The early days of any Premiership set the tone and focus of what will happen and be achieved. We wanted to highlight the potential for a new Prime Ministers to set a new tone, one based on peace, justice and tackling the root causes of division in society"

The letter has been signed by representatives from nine different Christian networks and churches. The Religious Society of Friends, the Community of Christ, the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, the Methodist Peace Fellowship, the Iona Community Peace Common Concern Network, Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network and Ekklesia Network. It came out a conversation among members of the Network of Christian Peace Organisations about how they would like to mark the new Prime Minister taking office.

The Fellowship of Reconciliation is a faith shaped movement for peace, justice and human rights. Founded in 1914 it has members around England and Scotland and is part of the global International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

The full letter text follows:

Dear Prime Minister,

We write to you at the start of your premiership. This time in office will be tested by real and gathering pressures, including war continuing to reshape Europe and the Middle East, summer heatwaves making plain the climate emergency as a present reality, and communities around our own nation feeling increasingly fractured, anxious, and pulled toward division rather than solidarity.

How you choose to respond will define your time in office more than any single policy decision. We write to draw your attention to three shared priorities that we think can make a real difference to your premiership and the long-term well-being of this country.

First, we ask that you make peace and diplomacy the guiding principle of your foreign policy. Not an afterthought to military might and deterrence. That means renewed investment of time and diplomatic weight to the institutions built precisely for moments like this - chief among them the United Nations - rather than allowing them to be starved of funds and influence just when they are needed most. Multilateral diplomacy is slow, unglamorous, and easy to underfund, but it remains our best tool for de-escalation and long-term stability, and a Prime Minister willing to champion it would be doing something genuinely inspirational. This year will see the new Secretary General of the United Nations appointed and the UK will have a key role in voting through candidates and then enabling them to be successful in their role

Second, we ask for a change in economic direction. Research has shown that an arms industry-led model of growth is a dead end, not a strategy. An economy built on weapons production ties our national prosperity to the persistence of armed conflict elsewhere; it is not a sustainable foundation for the country's future. We need an economic system that works for us, not against us, through the climate crisis. We urge you to prioritise activities that contribute to the common good and are less reliant on fossil fuels or military might to secure access to fossil fuels - industries like clean energy - and public health, education and sustainable infrastructure.

Third, at a time when it would be easy to scapegoat migrants and refugees for our national anxieties we ask you to write a different story. Britain is stronger, not weaker, for its diversity. We need a Prime Minister who says this clearly and often. By doing so, rather than ceding political ground to those who would divide us, you will help hold our communities together rather than let them fracture further. We know the roots of much division is in fact economic inequality and your progress on that will help stop the further spread of this language.

We write to you as faith leaders and leaders of faith-based movements who share a vision of a better world - one built on peace and justice for all. We will continue to play our part in building it, in our communities and beyond, and we invite you to do the same in the office you now hold.

Yours sincerely,

John Cooper, Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Religious Society of Friends
Sue Claydon, Chair, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
Philip Austin, Coordinator, Northern Friends Peace Board
Liddy Buswell, Coordinator, Methodist Peace Fellowship
Heinz Toller, Moderator, Iona Community Common Concern Peace Network
Andrew Fellows, Peace and Justice lead, Community of Christ
Fred Ashmore, Steering Group, Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network
Simon Barrow, Coordinator, Ekklesia network