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.
Speaking about the value of life in a confused society
27 June 2019It would seem as though we are not as comfortable with the continued normalisation of ending life before birth as is often portrayed. More than 100,000 people have signed a petition to protest a court’s judgment to end a pregnancy through force of law. Fortunately, the Court of Appeal has overturned the ruling from the Court of Protection which would have forced a woman to have an abortion against her, her mother’s and her social worker’s wishes. The woman, who is in her twenties and has a…
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The roots of good leadership
30 May 2019With nominations closing on Monday, 10 June, 11 candidates have already announced that they will definitely run and at least half a dozen are thought to be considering entering the contest. It is likely the field will thin out by the time of the first votes of the parliamentary party in mid-June, which will vote in successive rounds with the losing candidate removed after each ballot until only two remain. The final two will then be voted on by the entire Conservative Party membership. It is,…
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Far above politics
29 April 2019I’ve worked in parliament and politics for long enough to know that we should believe political pundits and experts when they declare that they have no idea what is coming next. Gone are the days of confident predictions and clear trajectories of political movement; we live in an environment with chronic instability and in which the identities that define our political landscape have changed beyond recognition. Historically, British politics was relatively straightforward: there were clear…
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Sri Lanka attacks: grief-stricken but hope-filled
25 April 2019Because we needed rest, we opted for a more leisurely pace, with an extended beach stay, rather than the typical tourist itineraries. Due to seasonal monsoon cycles, we went to the east coast, just north of Batticaloa, where one of eight explosions in Sri Lanka targeted Christians as they attended church on Easter Sunday. My wife and I wanted to see more of the South-Asian country than the shiny resorts on the coast, so one day we boarded a tuk tuk to Batticaloa. When we got to the city, our…
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Steve Clifford to step down as general director
12 April 2019Steve has been at the helm of the Evangelical Alliance since April 2009 and over the past decade he has helped the church have confidence in the power of the gospel and develop a clear voice in public life. But, perhaps above all, the Bradford-born Christian leader has brought together the diverse evangelical communities in the UK, so that together, despite differences, we can all make Jesus known. Commenting on his decision, Steve said: “For the past 10 years it has been an honour and…
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Secular Lent: an ancient tradition in a modern world
7 March 2019That’s how Guardian columnist Dawn Foster wrote about Lent this week. During Lent Christians have traditionally given up food in forms of fasting, and this has expanded in recent years to the foregoing of many other things. It is also notable how popular this once obscure Christian discipline has become among those who would not describe themselves as Christians and may even fiercely oppose much of what the church teaches. In the Yorkshire Evening Post you can even read about 10 things to give…
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Government’s anti-persecution inquiry launched
31 January 2019At yesterday’s launch event at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hunt said: “We wanted to do this not just because freedom of worship is a fundamental human right, but also because freedom of worship is the invisible line between open societies and closed societies. “Where freedom of worship is hampered or prevented, then usually that’s a sign of lots of other things going wrong, and we wanted to make sure that the UK is doing everything to champion the values that we all believe in.” The…
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Confusion and chaos, or a country crying out for hope?
17 January 2019Within 24 hours over Tuesday and Wednesday, the government’s proposed Withdrawal Agreement, which would see the UK leave the European Union on 29 March, was defeated by a historic majority and Theresa May’s government survived a no confidence vote triggered by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after the Prime Minister’s deal was voted down. Following parliamentary votes in recent weeks, the government is now required to return to parliament by Monday, 21 January with proposals for what they will do…
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Brexit, Herod and contemptuous politicians
6 December 2018The five-day debate on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was always going to be tense, with predictions that the government could lose the vote on 11 December by a large margin – one tracker now has more than 100 Conservative MPs pledging to vote against it. But then there was the tricky matter of humble addresses and contempt of parliament motions. The government refused to take part in a vote which obliged them to publish the full legal advice on Brexit, they decided to only publish a summary,…
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Firm Foundations – new resource from the Evangelical Alliance
22 November 2018Over the last few years the Evangelical Alliance has spoken to many churches that have experienced challenges finding properties to meet in and encountered hurdles relating to cost, bureaucracy and opposition. Churches that are part of our One People Commission, which represents churches from different ethnic groups, have experienced these challenges most acutely, and when we talked with them about policy priorities, this came at the top of their list. For 2,000 years churches have met in many…
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Justin Welby: the turbulent priest and the Trades Union Congress
14 September 2018Ahead of his speech to the Trade Union’s Congress this week he put out a tweet teasing that it might ruffle a few feathers. He knew that it would reignite the debate that had hardly simmered down follow his involvement in the IPPR thinktank’s commission on economic justice and their report last week. Justin Welby followed up his calls for an increased minimum wage and an overhaul in inheritance arrangements with an attack on gig-economy employers and zero-hours contracts. In questions…
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