religious freedom
My extended family follow other faiths which gives me a valuable insight into the importance of interfaith dialogue and religious freedom.
Throughout my time in Parliament, I championed religious freedom and challenged persecution – not only of Christians but of all those persecuted for their beliefs, speaking frequently in the House of Commons.
I was vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Freedom and was honoured to be appointed in 2020 as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, in which role I was reappointed and served three Prime Ministers until 2024.
I worked in this role with Ambassadors and other government representatives from across the world challenging persecution and was elected by them in 2021 and re-elected in 2022 as Chair of the International cross- governmental organisation which supports religious freedom globally – “IRBFA” the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance - which grew substantially during my tenure to 43 countries.