Labour MP praises church where pastor opposed LGBT+ rights amid Starmer visit row

Stephen Timms accused of ‘trolling LGBT+ people’ by speaking out in defence of church despite Labour leader admitting visit was mistake

Stephen Timms voted against allowing same-sex couples to marry in 2013 (Getty Images)

A Labour MP has provoked anger by praising a church whose pastor opposed gay rights despite the party’s leader Keir Starmer apologising for visiting it.

Stephen Timms was accused of “trolling” LGBT+ people after praising the “extraordinary work” of Jesus House for All the Nations in Brent, north London.

His comment came hours after Sir Keir on Monday accepted it was a “mistake” for him to visit the church, which has opened up as a vaccination centre, last week.

The Labour leader had previously posted a video to social media praising the work of the church, but deleted it amid anger from party members over the views of the church’s senior pastor, Agu Irukwu. The pastor opposed same-sex marriage legislation and 2006 proposals that protected LGBT+ people from discrimination.

Sir Keir wrote in a statement posted to Twitter that he disagreed with Jesus House’s beliefs on LGBT+ rights, “which I was not aware of before my visit”. He added: “I apologise for the hurt my visit caused and have taken down the video. It was a mistake and I accept that.”

But Mr Timms, MP for East Ham, tweeted on Tuesday: “I applaud the extraordinary work of @jesushouseuk, and of churches and other faith groups, in supporting our communities throughout the past year.”

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His comments drew criticism on social media and calls for the MP to be stripped of his party membership.

Owen Jones, the journalist and Labour activist, said Mr Timms was “trolling LGBTQ people in support of a homophobic church Keir Starmer had to apologise for endorsing”.

“Timms voted against equal marriage, claiming marriage was about procreation”, he noted, adding: “He shouldn’t be a Labour MP”.

Mr Timms told The Independent he had “spoken to Jesus House” after the row over Sir Keir’s visit and “they assure me they don’t do anything like conversion therapy, and that their view is that homophobia is anti-Christian”.

He added: “In my constituency and others, faith groups have done an extraordinary job supporting people during the pandemic, especially through foodbanks. I think it’s important to recognise and acknowledge that.

“The community I represent would have been far worse off without their contribution, as underlined by the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society, which I chair.”

The evangelical Christian MP has made anti-poverty work an area of focus during his time in politics. But he has also been criticised for his opposition and abstentions on LGBT+ rights and for voting against allowing same-sex couples to marry in 2013.

Kate Osborne, the Labour MP for Jarrow, said the comments had led to “another day of disappointment”.

Ms Osborne tweeted: “I also applaud the work of churches and faith groups who support their communities but, I do not applaud those who hide their bigotry behind their so called religious believes [sic].”

The LGBT+ Labour group, which had publicly called for Sir Keir’s apology, and said it had been “made aware of a tweet from a London Labour MP which expresses support for Jesus House”.

“With concern, we have reached out to this MP privately”, it added. “There can be no excuse for supporting any organisation with links to conversion therapy.”

The Independent has approached the Labour Party for comment.