It’s no secret I’m a proud Roman Catholic. I don’t whisper it, I don’t apologise for it, and I certainly don’t feel the need to water it down to make anyone else comfortable. Which is why I find myself quietly thrilled by something that doesn’t make many headlines but absolutely should: Christianity is stirring again in Britain.

Against the grain of doom-laden narratives about a godless nation, we’re witnessing a quiet revival. Church attendance, which sat at 8% in 2018, has climbed to 12% by 2024. That may not sound seismic, but in a country that has spent decades predicting the Church’s funeral, it’s a heartbeat worth listening to. Even more striking is where the growth is coming from – young adults.

Now, I’m often critical of Gen Z. I’ve accused them, sometimes unfairly, of emotional fragility and an allergy to resilience. But credit where it’s due, among 18-24-year-olds, church attendance has jumped from 4% in 2018 to a whopping 16% in 2024, according to the Bible Society.

That’s not nostalgia, that’s a generation actively choosing faith in an age of anxiety, antidepressants, and endless scrolling. They’re searching for meaning, community, and something sturdier than the latest social media trend. Good on them.

And it’s not just bums on pews. Bible sales in the UK hit record levels last year, up 134% since 2019. Let that sink in. In an era when attention spans are supposedly fried and books are supposedly dead, people are buying Scripture in droves. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when souls are restless.

There’s still plenty more to do. Churches need to be braver, more present, and less timid about what they believe. Faith isn’t meant to be hidden behind stained glass and Sunday politeness. Which brings me to someone who actually gets that.

Pat Allerton, vicar at St Peter’s Church, Notting Hill, is leading from the front. On Ash Wednesday last week, he took to the streets, anointing commuters with ash and oil. Some scoffed, while others paused, but many were moved. And that matters, because in modern Britain, Christians are too often treated like second-class citizens – we’re mocked, sidelined, or told to keep quiet – while other beliefs are loudly celebrated.

This Lent, I’d like to see our Government rediscover a backbone and make more of our holy days. Britain’s Christian roots aren’t something to be embarrassed about. They’re something to be honoured.

Restore, Reform and Advance!

There’s no denying that Rupert Lowe’s new party, Restore Britain, has burst onto the scene with remarkable speed. Ben Habib’s Advance UK, meanwhile, is also punching above its weight, but let’s not kid ourselves, Reform is the biggest of these parties and by far in the best position to be elected.

It would be hopelessly naive to think that these parties exist in a vacuum, or that they won’t have consequences for the wider right-of-centre movement. Three parties fishing in the same pond means fewer fish for all of them.

The real beneficiary of this fragmentation won’t be the voter seeking change. It will be Labour, clinging to power like a limpet, quite possibly propped up by some sort of coalition stitched together behind closed doors.

Everyone is, of course, entitled to vote how they wish. That’s democracy. But democracy also demands clear thinking. Splitting the vote may feel principled. It may even feel righteous. But it is, unquestionably, a very big risk.

The BBC ignores Express delivery

It was overdue to see our investigation into London’s grooming gangs finally picked up by the BBC. The more sunlight poured on this scandal, the harder it becomes for the Mayor to keep pretending it doesn’t exist. And perhaps, at long last, Sadiq Khan will feel compelled to act, rather than deny and deflect as he has for years.

But let’s be honest, there’s something rather shabby about the BBC’s approach here. Not a whisper of credit. No acknowledgment that this story was dragged into the open by dogged reporting and relentless pressure from the Daily Express.

Without our exposé – without the uncomfortable questions put directly to Khan by Zak Garner-Purkis – none of this would be on the BBC’s running order now. This isn’t about ego; it’s about truth and accountability. When journalists do the hard, unpopular work, the least others can do is say so. Silence, in this case, speaks volumes.

Good news for pubs

For once, some genuinely good news for Britain’s battered pubs. They’ll be allowed to stay open until 2am for England’s World Cup games. Hurrah indeed. After years of closures, rising costs and suffocating regulation, the humble pub finally gets a lifeline that actually makes sense.

Extra hours mean extra pints sold, and right now many landlords are fighting just to keep the lights on. Let people enjoy themselves and the tills will ring.

It’s also a small joy for the rest of us. Watching England is simply better with a drink in hand, surrounded by groans, cheers and misplaced optimism. That’s not decadence. That’s British culture.