As a new form of Christian Nationalism rises in the form of UKIP’s ‘Walk for Jesus’ marches, the Dean of Liverpool Cathedral is right to say he wants nothing to do with it, says Rev Dr Keith Brindle
When UKIP announced a ‘Walk with Jesus’ through the streets of Liverpool this Lent, starting on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral, many Christians might have felt a flicker of nostalgia.
For those of a certain generation, March for Jesus evokes memories of colourful, ecumenical processions through the 1990s - joyful expressions of faith intended to bless our cities.
However, as the Dean of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Canon Anthony O’Brien, has made clear in a firm statement, this is not that.
The Cathedral’s refusal to grant permission for the march to use its piazza was more than a logistical quibble; it was a profound act of theological boundary-marking. By distancing itself, the Cathedral exposed a growing trend in Britian: the co-option of sacred symbols by a far-right movement that seeks to provide moral cover for an anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim agenda by dressing it up in Christian heritage.
UKIP today
To understand why this march is so controversial, we must look at the current state of UKIP.
The party that once dominated headlines under Nigel Farage as a single-issue, anti-EU force has fundamentally transformed. Having been marginalised by Reform UK, the new UKIP has sought a fresh identity by drifting into overt Christian Nationalism.
This shift is not an isolated pivot, but part of a broader, calculated trend across the far-right.
Groups ranging from Reform and Restore to figures like Tommy Robinson are increasingly co-opting Christian language and imagery to provide moral cover for their rhetoric. By mimicking the tactical success of populist movements overseas, and often supported by the same international networks of well-funded far-right organisations, these groups wrap exclusionary agendas in the protective cloak of defending Christendom. For UKIP, their ‘Walk with Jesus’ march is simply the latest attempt to claim a veneer of religious legitimacy for a platform that remains fundamentally divisive.
Under the current leadership of Nick Tenconi, UKIP has moved toward what it calls crusades. The rhetoric has shifted from fishing quotas and parliamentary sovereignty to reclaiming British streets from what they describe as Islamist invaders. Their Mass Deportation Tour last summer, which saw violent clashes and arrests in Liverpool and elsewhere, revealed the reality behind the rhetoric.
In this new iteration, the cross is no longer treated as a sign of sacrificial love, but as a cultural badge - a KEEP OUT sign aimed at our Muslim neighbours and those seeking sanctuary on our shores.
Seeking Real Solutions
There are genuine, deep-seated political and social crises in the UK today: a biting cost of living crisis, a chronic shortage of affordable housing, and an NHS stretched to its breaking point. As Christians, we are called to be wise; which means engaging with the complex details of these issues rather than succumbing to the seductive simplicity of soundbites.
It is far easier to point at a ‘them’ - the migrant, the Muslim, or the stranger- and label ‘them’ as the cause of our national struggles than it is to address systemic underfunding or policy failures. However, we can’t allow ourselves to be seduced into using our neighbours as scapegoats. We must reject rhetoric that treats human beings as the problem, and instead demand political solutions that honour the dignity of all, refusing to let the far-right offer a cheap and hateful answer to our very real national pains.
Not a “March for Jesus”
The distinction between a genuine liturgical procession and this Walk with Jesus is vital. A traditional March for Jesus is an act of kenosis - an emptying of self to lift up Christ. It is inclusive, seeking the “peace of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7).
In contrast, UKIP’s proposal is an exercise in Christian identity politics. By scheduling a march in an area with a diverse population and framing it as a religious procession, they are using the name of Jesus as a shield against police intervention.
We saw this earlier this year in Whitechapel, London, where a similar UKIP march was blocked by the Metropolitan Police over fears of serious disorder. When the police act to prevent violence, the far-right then cries two-tier policing, claiming that Christian worship is being suppressed while other groups are appeased. This is a cynical manipulation of the faith.
Why the Cathedral Was Right to Say No
The Cathedral’s statement was a masterclass in Gospel-centered resistance. Canon O’Brien noted that the Cathedral is home to a “worshipping community of every nationality” and that the Catholic Church “respects the dignity of every person irrespective of their country of origin.”
By refusing to host the start of the rally, the Cathedral was protecting the sanctity of the Gospel from being used as a partisan prop. If the Cathedral had allowed the march to proceed from its steps, it would have implicitly signalled that UKIP’s platform of mass deportation and Islamophobia are valid expressions of Christian mission.
Instead, the Cathedral chose to stand with the vulnerable. In a city like Liverpool, built on migration and defined by its fierce sense of social justice, the Church knows that standing for Christ means standing with the migrant, the refugee, and the marginalised, rather than marching against them.
As we move through Lent toward the Cross, let us remember that the real Jesus did not march to reclaim a territory; He marched to the Cross to reclaim a people - of every tribe, tongue, and nation. Any walk that excludes the neighbour is a walk in the wrong direction.
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