Danny Webster
Danny joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2008 and has held a range of roles in the advocacy team. He currently leads the advocacy team's work across the UK including public policy work an engagement with the parliaments and assemblies, and respective governments. Before working for the Evangelical Alliance, Danny, who has degrees in politics and political philosophy, worked in parliament for an MP. Danny is passionate about encouraging Christians to integrate their faith with all areas of their life, especially when it comes to helping them take on leadership outside the church, and helped initiate the Evangelical Alliance's Public Leadership programme. He frequently provides comment on current political issues, both in Evangelical Alliance publications and to the press.
What’s happening with the government’s conversion therapy plans?
25 October 2023Since the government announced in 2018 that they would bring forward plans to end conversion therapy there has been a lot of talk, but very little action. The plans have been at times supported and rejected by different prime ministers. Theresa May was for a plan, Boris Johnson was too until he wasn’t, until he was again, and Rishi Sunak seems to be joining the hokey cokey and it’s not yet clear where he’ll be when the music stops! Much has also been made of the words of the pledge – does…
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Religious freedom in the workplace - why this should be central to human rights at work inquiry
4 September 2023The Joint Committee on Human Rights is currently considering the wide-ranging issue of human rights at work, and before the summer break took evidence from legal experts and workplace representatives on some of the key issues involved. The three organisations have now written to the committee asking that they take a more focused look at how religion and belief are handled in the workplace, and offered to provide further evidence of some of the challenges Christians presently face. Earlier in…
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Review calls on government to improve engagement with faith groups
26 April 2023Colin Bloom’s review called for the government to “actively encourage greater understanding and consideration of the beliefs and practices that define the complete expression of religion and faith, and for greater appreciation and support for what people of faith, faith-based organisations and places of worship contribute to society.” Commissioned in 2019 by, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the review heard from 21,000 respondents and collated nearly 1million pieces of data. The subsequent…
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30 years on from the death of Stephen Lawrence - there is still much work to do
19 April 2023On 22 April 1993, Stephen Lawrence was murdered in Eltham, South London. The ensuing investigation, failed prosecutions, both public and private, exposed failings in the police. There was widespread concern that the racially motivated killing of Stephen was met with racially prejudiced policing which led to a failed investigation of the crime and was responsible for the failure to secure a conviction. In 1997, the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, commissioned an inquiry into the investigation…
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The Illegal Migration Bill places politics before people
14 March 2023At the start of the year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak offered five pledges for his government, one of which was to simply ‘stop the boats’. The government’s proposed legislation to achieve this and tackle small boat crossing in the Channel was introduced into parliament in early March. This proposed law would remove virtually all rights from those arriving through irregular routes and in doing so undermines international refugee obligations and makes a mockery of modern slavery legislation,…
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What the government must consider in its upcoming conversion therapy bill
25 January 2023Legislating in this area is fraught with risks of restricting individual freedoms, conversations between parents and children, and the everyday practices of churches. We know this from legislation passed in different parts of the world, from proposals considered across the UK, and legal opinions analysing the consequences of new laws. What is normally the focus when proposals to ban conversion practices are discussed are efforts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.…
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2021 Census: Christianity can flourish in the margins of society
29 November 2022How should Christians respond to these findings, is it a cause for concern, and what does it mean for Christianity in public life? First of all, these findings are not a surprise; it has been widely predicted that this would be the result, and our own research through Talking Jesus found that 48% of the UK population described themselves as Christian. Second, it is vital to understand what the census measures and what it doesn’t. The decline in this figure is primarily representative of fewer…
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How can Christians respond to political chaos?
21 October 2022Liz Truss is leaving Downing Street as the shortest serving occupant behind that black door; her leadership campaign lasted longer than her premiership. We witnessed the ignominy of a lettuce on a live stream outlasting her. This followed the departure of her chancellor, purportedly for no greater reason than implementing the economic agenda she had run her campaign on and wanted to introduce. His successor not only gutted that plan, but seized political authority in a manner that had…
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Equipped to live for Jesus at work
27 September 2022Living for Jesus at work, a new resource suite from the Evangelical Alliance and the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship, seeks to equip Christians in this task. From factory workers to corporate lawyers, from paramedics to pharmacists, Christians have opportunities to speak Jesus into their world of work, but also challenges as they seek to do so. These resources bring together advice, guidance and wisdom to help on the way. The increasing number of enquiries from Christians looking for support and…
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The next Prime Minister must restore trust in public life
13 July 2022Following the announcement that Boris Johnson is stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party, the race is on for his replacement, both as party leader and as Prime Minister. Twelve candidates initially announced that they were putting themselves forward for the position. But the speed of the election process means that by 21 July this will be whittled down to a final two candidates, selected by Conservative MPs. The wider party membership will then vote over the summer for their choice…
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Freedom of religion and belief must be a mainstream issue, it cannot be ignored or overlooked
7 July 2022At the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, governments committed to work towards preventing abuse and to promote and protect religious freedom. The event brought together representatives from more than a hundred countries, with many government ministers and diplomats present. Alongside the main conference sessions focused on prevention, promotion and protection, events took place on the side-lines, many profiling places where Christians suffer severe…
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