Christians quiz mayoral candidates on faith issues

|PIC1|London mayoral candidates were last night quizzed on their commitment to the faith community at a hustings event organised by the Evangelical Alliance.

Hundreds of Christians packed historic St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Trafalgar Square to hear Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson, Brian Paddick and Alan Craig pitch their bids.

Labour candidate Mr Livingstone spoke early on of his keenness to "reach out" to the voluntary and faith community and bring them into London-wide efforts to care for the city's youth in the face of widespread gun and knife crime among young people.

When challenged on the difficulties that some churches have had in receiving planning permission to build places of worship, Mr Livingstone contended that only one evangelical church had not received the planning permission it had sought.

He told the audience, "I can think of nothing better than to bring law-abiding Christians into the community," before promising to amend the London Plan - the mayor's spacial development strategy - to ensure that churches or other religious places of worship are included in community planning.

"People's faith needs are every bit as important as their housing needs," he said.

Lib Dem candidate Mr Paddick acknowledged the "desperate need" for more places of worship to accommodate some of the rapidly growing churches in London, particularly among the black Christian community.

Tory candidate Johnson praised faith-based groups for the "revolutionary" work they are doing in their communities and assured that their work would be supported if he won next week's election.

"I think we have completely neglected the revolutionary work being done in society by faith-based groups," Johnson told the audience.

Christian Choice candidate Alan Craig, meanwhile, blamed aggressive secularism for turning Britain into a "self-centred" nation.

"The damage that has been done to our capital, the damage that has been done to our society is because of an aggressive, materialistic and selfish secular agenda...Christianity is being written out of the national script," he said.

"Freedoms that come from our Judeo-Christian heritage are being closed out," he added, referring to the Sexual Orientation Regulations which make it impossible for Catholic adoption agencies to refuse to place children in same-sex families.

When a member of the audience later challenged Mr Craig on why he was running for mayor on an explicitly Christian ticket, he answered, "Each of the parties has said goodbye to their Christian roots."

Addressing Christian MPs within the mainstream parties, he said, "I see no evidence that they are standing up for broad Christian values."

Mr Paddick, a committed Christian, defended his decision to align with the Lib Dems, saying, "It is vitally important that Christians are proud of what they believe in and try to influence their parties. We need strong Christian voices within the mainstream parties...so that the Christian voice is heard in the mainstream."

It is about "being a strong voice for Christ where you are, not setting yourself apart," he added.

A Sunday Times poll showed Mr Livingstone and Mr Johnson almost level pegging at 45% and 44% respectively, and Mr Paddick on 9%.