Dr Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has accused Nigel Farage of misusing claims about Britain's Christian heritage in order to "channel anti-Muslim feeling", in an interview with the New Humanist magazine.
Williams, who served as archbishop of Canterbury for a decade until 2012, said there was "an inevitable scepticism these days about some claims to religious conviction". He suggested Farage's repeated references to Christianity served a political purpose.
"I suspect really that Farage and others want to channel anti-Muslim feeling, and it helps to have 'we're a Christian society' to fling back. It gives a sort of ballast," Williams said.
Asked about what he believed was driving Christian nationalism in the UK, Williams pointed to several factors, including anxiety about migration and anti-Islamism, as well as what he described as the "globalising of all political discourse".
"The message given at international Christian conservative gatherings is that self-respecting nationalist movements need a bit of theology injected into them," he said. "Ironically, for someone like Nigel Farage, it's about trying to find a presentational strategy that allows him to be taken seriously outside England. He's often not here, after all."
Williams added that he believed the phenomenon was, in part, driven by "the very simple search for someone to blame".
The Reform UK leader posted a message at Easter stating that "the Christian values on which our country is built are something to be proud of". In 2024, Farage faced criticism after claiming there were "a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, in fact loathe much of what we stand for" – comments he later confirmed referred to Muslims.
Earlier this year, Farage criticised an iftar event held in Trafalgar Square, describing the religious fast-breaking gathering as an "attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life".
Last year, Reform UK announced the appointment of theologian James Orr, an academic who has influenced Donald Trump's US administration, as a senior adviser to Farage.
Williams also addressed the activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who has spoken publicly about undertaking Bible studies while in prison and has described himself as a practising Christian, having grown up Catholic without previously practising the faith.
In December, Robinson led a carol concert billed as an effort to "put the Christ back into Christmas". His Unite the Kingdom march in London earlier this year featured some participants carrying wooden crosses and chanting "Christ is king".
Williams said he did not wish to dismiss claims of religious conviction outright. "There's an inevitable scepticism these days about some claims to religious conviction, and I don't want to give way to this. If Tommy Robinson is doing his best to lead a life of Christian discipleship, I'm very glad, but I would really want to ask him some awkward questions," he said.
"I would ask him how attempting to lead a life of Christian discipleship squares with public rhetoric designed to produce hostility and violence."
On Farage specifically, Williams was sceptical about the depth of his religious engagement, despite Reform UK's recruitment of a theologian. "Although Nigel Farage thought it was worth getting a theologian on board for Reform UK, I don't think he lies awake at night thinking about his soul," Williams said. "I may be doing the man an injustice, but I don't believe he cares about profound theological questions."
Williams's comments come amid continuing debate over the role of religious identity in British political discourse, particularly in relation to immigration and national identity. Reform UK has not yet responded publicly to the specific remarks made by Williams in the interview.
