“Doing God” in Number 10: British Prime Ministers, Religion, and Political Rhetoric

Abstract

This article analyses British prime ministers' use of religious language and their own religious beliefs in their political rhetoric. This is used to justify policy, support their ideological positions, present a public persona, and cultivate their personal ethical appeal and credibility as values-driven political leaders. The focus is on the use and the nature of the religious arguments of Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron. As political leaders, British prime ministers are aware of the need to modify and tailor their language in response to changing audiences and contexts. "Doing God" is a difficult and risky rhetorical strategy for British prime ministers but it increasingly has the potential to yield political benefits.

Cameron, Conservatives and a Christian Britain: A Critical Exploration of Political Discourses about Religion in the Contemporary United Kingdom

“…According to them, New Labour's greater receptivity was underpinned by "the personal moral and Christian commitment of several members of the government including the prime minister[s]" [19]. Crines and Theakston [8] agree. In support of this relates they explain how Gordon Brown, New Labour Prime Minister between 2007 and 2010 had Christianity so 'hardwired' into his character that his political persona as much as his political trajectory were heavily indebted to his faith's morals and values.…”

“…While so, they go on to note how during his time as Prime Minister he became increasingly reluctant to speak about his Christian faith for fear of a media backlash similar that experienced by Tony Blair. Like Brown, Blair was a committed Christian prior to becoming Prime Minister and for whom faith had gone on to shape and inform his political career [8]. Unlike Brown however, Blair was rather more comfortable giving voice to this [20].…”

“…This caused some controversy while he was Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007. Having been unequivocally told by senior advisers not to discuss his personal religiosity in public after expressing a desire to end his 2003 address to the nation following the invasion of Iraq with the phrase "god bless you" [8], Blair was asked later that year about his Christian beliefs during an interview for Vanity Fair. Before being allowed to answer, Alistair Campbell-Blair's director of strategy and communications-intervened by saying: "we don't do God .…”

“…While the notion that successive New Labour governments did not 'do god', a number of commentators disagree [2,3,8]. Far from the American model that Campbell referred to, New Labour could be seen to 'do god' in rather more low-key and less overt ways, preferring to focus on faith rather than religion [2].…”

“…To build on existing scholarly knowledge about 'doing god' [1,2,7,8] two themes emerge that warrant further investigation. The first is the unprecedented confidence to publicly 'do god' by the Conservatives.…”