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.
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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Gambling review: A critical opportunity for the government to address gambling harm
1 July 2022The Evangelical Alliance has long worked for gambling laws that protect those most vulnerable and most likely to suffer damaging consequences. The current framework regulating gambling was passed into law in 2005, and we have been involved since long before that. We campaigned against proposals for super casinos, which were ditched at the last minute. We pressed the government to address the problem of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, where players could lose thousands of pounds in one session –…
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How ambitious was the Queen’s Speech?
11 May 2022Levelling up One key piece of legislation that will shortly be introduced to parliament is the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. This will pass into law some of the measures the government has already committed to, and will likely also include proposals to reform the planning system and give local councils more powers. While this is part of a strategy to address economic disparities across the UK, the measures are part of longer-term plans and will not make an immediate impact on the…
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Could tweeting Bible verses land you in jail?
8 April 2022As a result, she was investigated under the Finnish Criminal Code for the offence of “ethnic agitation” which could result in imprisonment for up to two years. The investigation by the prosecutors also drew in a pamphlet that she had written in 2004 on human sexuality for a Christian foundation. The police had planned to drop the charges but the state prosecutor reopened the case. Räsänen was charged in April 2021 and the case came to court in January 2022. Alongside the Finnish MP, Bishop…
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Confusion over government conversion therapy plans
1 April 2022ITV News reported that the Prime Minister had taken a decision not to press ahead with a legislative ban on conversion therapy for England and Wales, after a consultation process earlier this year. This was confirmed by a government spokesperson, but later the same evening came news that the government had had a further change of view and would now be banning conversion therapy relating to sexual orientation but not transgender identity. This update also noted that the Prime Minister wanted to…
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