A church warden and a rector in the Church of England have sought permission from the Charity Commission to initiate a legal challenge against Project Spire, the controversial plan to commit £100 million towards reparations for the Church’s alleged historical links to the transatlantic slave trade.
The prospect of a legal challenge has been on the cards for some time. Last year Conservative MPs and peers wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, urging her to abandon the plans and stating that Charity Commission rules require charitable funds be used for the purpose for which they were donated.
“By law, the endowment must be used to support parish ministry, maintain church buildings, and care for the Church’s historic records," the letter said.
Such a challenge however has not come from the Conservative Party, but from Dr Bijan Omrani, a churchwarden in the Diocese of Exeter, and Rev Dr Jamie Franklin, a rector in the Diocese of Winchester.
Writing on X, Rev Franklin said that Church Commissioners had refused to “engage with serious legal, moral and historical questions around Project Spire”, adding that the legal challenge was the “only resort”.
Referring to 1 Corinthians 6, which warns against lawsuits between believers, Franklin said the scripture should not be “a licence for the misuse of church funds”.
In a separate post, Franklin said of himself and Omrani, “We love the CofE and want the Church Commissioners to see sense and abandon this dubious project before it wastes even more money and causes further reputational damage.”
The action has received support from a number of political and activist figures.
Reform’s Suella Braverman, herself a Buddhist, said, “Well done. The tragic decline of Christianity in our country has been caused by CofE leaders who look more like left-wing campaigners than defenders of our national faith.”
Conservative MP Neil O’Brien also welcomed the action against what he called “an appalling misuse of money”.
Tim Dieppe, head of policy at Christian Concern said it was “excellent” that the controversial reparations plan would be challenged in court.
Anti-racism group Don’t Divide Us, also welcomed the legal action, saying, “There are legal issues with the CoE's Project Spire; and maybe many think this is just a concern of Christians. It isn't. One important moral principle at stake is this: if your grandfather committed a crime but was not punished at the time, should you be liable for his actions?”
