Mike Kane MP The UK’s Labour party are creating a new group in order to reach out to the country’s Catholics.
Nine MPs are launching a ‘Catholics for Labour’ group this Sunday which will focus on social justice and will be guided by Catholic social teaching.
Labour politician Mike Kane MP, currently shadow schools minister, said there are 3.8 million Catholic voters in England and Wales and “Labour will ignore them at its peril”.
“I’ve always seen my politics as inextricably tied to my faith and I truly believe there is a natural connection between Catholicism and the Labour movement,” he told the BBC.
“My desire to help those who have fallen on hard times all stems from my Catholic upbringing,” he added.
The group is expected to publish a letter this weekend setting out its goals, and will be signed by eight other Catholic MPs on the Labour benches according to the BBC. They expect to gather support from the wider party membership.
The group will be formally launched with a Mass at St Mary Magdalen Church. Alongside Mike Kane, founders are believed to include Jon Cruddas, Keith Vaz, David Crausby, Stephen Pound, Emma Lewell-Buck and Conor McGinn.
A spokesman said the group is aimed at those interested in applying Catholic social teaching to public policy, as well as Catholics interested in entering politics in the future.
Ambitions
The founders say in a letter that they have “lofty ambitions”.
“We are not about standing still or merely making observations of the world around us. Our hearts and minds are firmly focused on social justice and guided by the teaching of the Catholic faith we will work together to actively shape that world and prepare members for a life in public service.”
Critics have said this will be seen as an attempt to win back Catholic voters who traditionally voted for Labour, with half of Catholic supporters in Scotland favouring the Scottish National Party.
The group is expected to face difficult questioning in relation to same-sex marriage and abortion.