Religion and Populism in Britain

Citation

Peace T (2016) Religion and Populism in Britain. In: Marzouki N, McDonnell D & Roy O (eds.) Saving the People: How Populists Hijack Religion. London: Hurst. http://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/saving-people/

Abstract
Britain is recognised as one of the most secularised nations in Western Europe and also one of the few countries where the populist radical right has been unable to make serious electoral progress. This chapter explores the relationship to religion of a number of populist parties in Britain including the Respect Party, UKIP and the BNP. It also looks at the reactions of Churches and other faith communities in response to the rise of these populist movements and argues that  Britain represents an infertile breeding ground for populists wishing to use religion to advance their cause.

Keywords
Populism; Religion; UKIP; BNP; Respect party