Criminalising worship is 'unnecessary' and an 'infringement on basic liberty'

Religious leaders from various backgrounds and faiths have all challenged the government on its plans to criminalise meeting for worship during the second national lockdown.

A group of 71 church leaders has signed a pre-action letter asking the government not to impose the ban on worship services. One of the signatories, Rev. Douglas McCallum of Cambridge Presbyterian Church, is joined by Abdul Choudhuri, Chair of Peterborough’s Join Mosques Council, to discuss what they describe as government overreach.

“Meeting together isn’t secondary for Christians,” explains Douglas, “it’s very important … What we provide is the most essential public service … We want to honour the government, which is why we’re trying to engage them in this dialogue.” However, he says, if this is passed in Parliament, this would represent a massive “government overreach” and encroach on “our basic religious liberty.”