Welsh Christian Party / Christian Party (UK)

Semantic Summary

Minor right-wing Christian electoral party — full name Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship", with Welsh (Plaid Gristnogol) and Scottish branches — founded in May 2004 as Operation Christian Vote by Pentecostal minister and former songwriter George Hargreaves, as a split from the Christian Peoples Alliance. Its peak came in 2010 (71 general election candidates, 18,623 votes) and the 2009 European elections, when its "There definitely is a God" London bus adverts — a riposte to the humanist "atheist bus" campaign — drew over 1,000 complaints and 2.9% of the London vote. De-registered in 2012 after Electoral Commission enforcement over missing accounts, it was re-registered in 2013 under Jeff Green, who leads the party overall and its Welsh branch, with his wife Sue Green as treasurer and Dr Donald Boyd heading the Scottish party. Socially conservative, unionist and Eurosceptic, it fielded just two candidates in 2024 and functions largely as a family-run registered vehicle in terminal decline.

Overview

Field	Details
Full Name	Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship"
Welsh Name	Plaid Gristnogol (Welsh Christian Party)
Scottish Name	Scottish Christian Party
Classification	Tier 3 — Minor Electoral Party
Status	Active (re-registered after 2012 de-registration)
Founded	May 2004 (as Operation Christian Vote); re-registered 2013
Founder	George Hargreaves (Pentecostal minister, former songwriter)
Current Leader	Jeff Green (overall leader; also leader of Welsh Christian Party)
Scottish Leader	Dr Donald Boyd (nominating officer)
Treasurer	Sue Green
Political Position	Right-wing
Ideology	Christian right, social conservatism, British unionism, Euroscepticism
Electoral Performance	2 candidates in 2024 GE; peak: 71 candidates with 18,623 votes (2010); peak vote share: 2.9% in London (2009 EU elections)
Website	ukchristianparty.org

History

Origins: Operation Christian Vote (2004)

The Christian Party originated as Operation Christian Vote, founded in May 2004 by George Hargreaves, a Pentecostal minister and former songwriter. Hargreaves was based in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Western Isles.

Hargreaves had previously been a songwriter for mainstream pop acts, reportedly writing for the 1980s group Sinitta and achieving some commercial success before his religious conversion and entry into politics.

The party contested the 2004 European Elections in the Scotland constituency, gaining 1.8% of the popular vote — a creditable result for a brand-new micro-party. Hargreaves himself stood in the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election (2004), receiving 90 votes and finishing last of seven candidates.

In the 2005 general election, Hargreaves stood in Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles), where his local connections helped him secure 1,048 votes (7.6%), placing fourth and ahead of the Conservative candidate — saving his deposit. The party also gained attention through protests, including at Glasgow.

Split from Christian Peoples Alliance

The Christian Party was a split from the Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA), an earlier Christian political party. The CPA continues to exist as a separate organisation. The split appears to have been driven by Hargreaves's ambition and a more Pentecostal/evangelical orientation compared to the CPA's broader ecumenical approach.

The "Atheist Bus" Campaign (2009)

The party's highest-profile moment came during the 2009 European elections. The British Humanist Association had run advertisements on London buses stating: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

The Christian Party responded with counter-advertisements on London buses reading: "There definitely is a God, so join the Christian Party and enjoy your life."

De-registration and Re-registration (2012–2013)

In June 2012, the Electoral Commission took legal action against the party's treasurer for failure to supply accounts for two years and failure to pay previous fines. The party was fined and de-registered in July 2012.

After the mandatory six-month waiting period, the party was re-registered under a new RPP (Registered Political Party) in early 2013, this time under the leadership of Jeff Green. George Hargreaves departed from the leadership at this point, though the circumstances of the transition are not well documented.

The re-registered party's officers are:

Jeff Green — Leader (overall) and leader of the Welsh Christian Party
Sue Green — Treasurer
Dr Donald Boyd — Nominating Officer and leader of the Scottish Christian Party

Leadership: Jeff Green

See separate profile: Jeff Green

Jeff Green has led the Christian Party since its 2013 re-registration. He serves as overall party leader and specifically as leader of the Welsh Christian Party. His wife, Sue Green, is the party treasurer — suggesting a family-run operation typical of micro-parties at this tier.

Little personal biographical information is publicly available about Jeff Green. He does not maintain a significant media profile and has not contested high-profile seats. His leadership has been characterised by maintaining the party's registration and fielding token candidates rather than pursuing aggressive growth.

Electoral Performance

General Elections

Year	Candidates	Votes	Vote Share
2005	3+	~1,500+	<0.1%
2010	71	18,623	<0.1%
2015	9	3,205	<0.1%
2017	2 (Scotland)	<500	<0.1%
2019	Alliance with CPA	—	—
2024	2	<500	<0.1%

The steep decline in candidates from 71 (2010) to 2 (2024) illustrates the party's diminishing organisational capacity.

Devolved Elections

2007 Scottish Parliament: 26,575 votes (0.7%), 0 seats
2007 Welsh Assembly: 8,693 votes (0.9%), 0 seats
2016 Scottish Parliament: John Cormack in Na h-Eileanan an Iar received 8.8%, finishing fourth ahead of the Liberal Democrats

European Elections

2004 (Scotland): 1.8%
2009 (London): 51,336 votes (2.9%) — peak performance; retained deposit

By-Elections

2007: Sedgefield and Ealing Southall
2008: Haltemprice and Howden — George Hargreaves received 76 votes (0.3%)
2013: Eastleigh — Kevin Milburn, a retired prison officer, stood against same-sex marriage; received 163 votes (0.4%)

Policies

The Christian Party's policies, as stated on its website, reflect a socially conservative Christian worldview:

Banking

Promote personal and corporate financial responsibility
Government creation of money managed by the Bank of England to avoid national indebtedness to commercial banks

Law and Order

Change the role of Social Services to support parental authority
Make contraception for minors illegal without parental approval
Reinstate in loco parentis as a fundamental principle of school teaching

Health

Make private health insurance a visa requirement for migrants
Oblige private medical insurers to inform the Home Office when a linked visa insurance policy lapses
Review and reduce Health and Safety legislation

Reform the benefit system to remove risk of leaving welfare for work
Suspend (rather than close) benefit claims for 9 months when unemployed person gains employment
Allow "three job audits" before claim closure

Immigration

Negotiated agreement with the EU to apply transitional controls on migration

The party's mission statement is: "Christians working together to bring Christian concern, goodwill and action into the community, education, business and politics."

The Welsh Christian Party

The Welsh Christian Party (Plaid Gristnogol) is the Welsh branch of the Christian Party, operating as a regional identity within the national party structure. It is led by Jeff Green, who serves simultaneously as overall party leader and specifically as leader of the Welsh Christian Party.

The party's most significant Welsh electoral performance was in the 2007 Welsh Assembly Election, where it received 8,693 votes (0.9%). It has not achieved comparable results since.

Faith Jarvis

The Welsh Christian Party has been linked to Faith Jarvis, though the nature of this association is unclear from publicly available sources. Jarvis may be a candidate, officer, or affiliated activist within the party's Welsh operations. Further research would be needed to establish the precise relationship.

Organisation and Membership

No public membership figures available
Family-run: Leader Jeff Green and Treasurer Sue Green
Scottish operations led separately by Dr Donald Boyd
No accounting units registered
Minimal online presence beyond a basic website
No evidence of active local branches or regular campaigning activity

Controversies

Electoral Commission Enforcement

The party's 2012 de-registration for failing to supply accounts was accompanied by fines totalling £3,000+ for continuing non-compliance. The Electoral Commission's enforcement action indicates serious governance failures under George Hargreaves's original leadership.

"There Definitely Is a God" Campaign

The 2009 bus advertising campaign provoked over 1,000 complaints and generated significant media coverage. While the campaign boosted the party's profile in the short term, it also attracted mockery and reinforced perceptions of the party as a single-issue religious outfit.

Assessment

The Christian Party / Welsh Christian Party is a classic Tier 3 minor party: legally registered, fielding token candidates, but with no electoral base, minimal membership, and no prospect of winning seats. Its trajectory from 71 candidates (2010) to just 2 (2024) illustrates the terminal decline of explicitly religious parties in an increasingly secular Britain.

Unlike the Christian Peoples Alliance (which has achieved some very limited local government representation), the Christian Party under Jeff Green has failed to establish any electoral foothold. It survives primarily as a registered entity — a vehicle for expressing Christian conservative perspectives on ballot papers — rather than as a serious political organisation.

The party's family-run structure (Jeff and Sue Green) and minimal public profile suggest it may function in practice as a personal project rather than a membership organisation.

Known Associations

Auto-generated from cross-references in this archive.

Faith Jarvis — 2 mentions · tagged
Jeff Green — Welsh Christian Party — tagged

Sources

Wikipedia: Christian Party (UK)
Christian Party website: ukchristianparty.org
Electoral Commission registration records
BBC News: Election results 2005–2024
UK Parliament election results database

Profile last updated: July 2026