Bishops attack 'immoral' Labour

The Bishop of Manchester accused Labour of being beguiled by money

Five leading Anglican bishops have attacked the government, calling into question the morality of Labour policy.

Bishops of Durham, Winchester, Hulme, Manchester and Carlisle made the comments to the Sunday Telegraph.

They warned the country was suffering from family breakdown, an unhealthy reliance on debt and a growing gap between rich and poor.

The government defended its record of helping people out of poverty, saying fairness was at the core of its agenda.

Meanwhile, in his New Year message next week, Gordon Brown is expected to say the recession will be a test of Britain's character.

'Inevitable come-uppance'

The Rt Rev Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, told the Sunday Telegraph ministers had not done enough to help the poor.

"Labour made a lot of promises, but a lot of them have vanished into thin air," he said.

"We have not seen a raising of aspirations in the last 13 years, but instead there is a sense of hopelessness. While the rich have got richer, the poor have got poorer.

"When a big bank or car company goes bankrupt, it gets bailed out, but no one seems to be bailing out the ordinary people who are losing their jobs and seeing their savings diminished."

It is unfair and irresponsible of the government to put pressure on the public to spend in order to revive the economy Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, Bishop of Hulme

In a separate interview with the paper, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, the Bishop of Manchester, accused Labour of being "beguiled by money" and "morally corrupt".

His comments echoed his Christmas Day sermon in which he said society was facing an inevitable come-uppance for its "buy now, pay later" culture.

The Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, the Church's Bishop for Urban Life and Faith and also the Bishop of Hulme, said: "The government isn't telling people who are already deep in debt to stop overextending themselves, but instead is urging us to spend more.

"That is morally suspect and morally feeble. It is unfair and irresponsible of the government to put pressure on the public to spend in order to revive the economy."

He suggested it was a cynical ploy to improve the economy in time for the next general election.

Meanwhile, the bishops of Winchester and Carlisle claimed ministers had squandered their opportunity to transform society and run out of steam.

The Rt Rev Graham Dow, the Bishop of Carlisle, said: "I agree with the Conservatives that the breakdown of the family is a crucial element in the difficulties of our present society.

"The government hasn't given sufficient support to that because it is scared of losing votes."

The bishops' tough critique of Labour policies follows a public attack on the government from the Archbishop of Canterbury last week.

When times are tough we believe that people should be given more support, not less Government spokeswoman

Dr Rowan Williams said Gordon Brown's plans to spend more in order to tackle the recession were like an "addict returning to the drug", and suggested the economy had been going in the wrong direction for decades.

A government spokeswoman said "fairness" was at the core of its agenda, underpinned by the belief that everyone should have the chance to get ahead in life and realise their potential.

She said: "The government has a strong record of helping people out of poverty. We have also made record increases in the amount invested in public services over the last decade.

"When times are tough we believe that people should be given more support, not less.

"That is why we are giving real help now to families and businesses during this global economic downturn, to help those affected retrain and get a new job and keep their homes."