Political turbulence… How do we respond?

This article was first published by Evangelicals Now on 22 June 2026.

Earlier this morning, Sir Keir Starmer gave his emotional resignation speech. At any time, this is big news. A few hours later, a newly elected member of parliament, Andy Burnham, was sworn in. Normally a low-key event that rarely makes the news, but today this was part of the breathless news coverage, as “our Andy” is highly likely to become the new leader of the Labour party and therefore the new Prime Minister of the UK.

Anyone watching today from a distance would find the whole thing rather baffling.

If the government has been quite as successful as Sir Keir said it was, and the governing party has a whacking majority in Parliament, why on earth is he resigning?

And was there really no-one in all the 403 Labour MPs who could do his job? Did they really have to elect someone to take over – someone who wasn’t even a representative until last Friday and who also has no visible policy agenda?

Some might say this is simply a normal parliamentary democracy at work. But essentially, I think it shows that politics, like many other aspects of life, has become a rather trivial popularity contest that extends beyond general elections into what should be stable seasons of government. It’s much less about policies and more about personalities.

As Christians, we want to respond and comment in ways that reflect the love of Christ and the respect for those in authority. We may see the weaknesses of our leaders, but we should not become cynical and think that it’s all a waste of time. Here are a couple of things we can do:

Pray for those in leadership (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Whatever your party allegiance, we should love our neighbours and care for our country enough to say that we want better government, more stability, and peace where there is currently a lot of division.

Let’s pray for leaders to lead well and keep us secure and peaceful. Let’s pray for leaders who reflect the principles of God’s Word in policies that affect people’s lives. Let’s pray for justice. Let’s pray for leaders who want to serve the people. Let’s pray that certain laws – such as the shameful extension of abortion rights, the resubmitted assisted suicide bill and a new bill to outlaw conversion practices – do not succeed.

We are living in times of political and social instability – times where we are becoming more divided across political lines and even within political movements. It’s part of a greater insecurity fostered by a lack of core values. Values which used to be predominantly informed by Christian ethics have become either entirely baseless secular morality or a vague sense of Christian Britain, but one without the inconvenient lordship of Christ. This should grieve us and cause us to pray for our nation as well as our leaders – that we may see people turning in turbulent times to the rock that is Christ.

Don’t put your trust in leaders (Psalm 146:3)

If you support the Labour party, you might be dismayed or excited with what’s happening. If you oppose them, you might be hoping the consequence might mean more success for your party.

Christians can get caught up in tribal politics as easily as anyone else. We’re definitely not immune from falling into the trap of showing disrespect and even contempt for those with whom we disagree. This is often driven by a sense that we know best and that we are the saviours.

By all means, let’s debate what are better or worse policies and be part of the democratic process by voting responsibly. But whatever your party allegiance (or lack of it), don’t assume that salvation comes from anywhere other than from the Lord. Our nation, or more particularly the people of our nation, need to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and come under the rule of the king who never disappoints and will never need to resign and be replaced.