A personal View by Robert Key MP

Christianity is a very political religion. For me, the church came first and politics much later.

When my father was consecrated Bishop of Sherborne in 1947, we came to live in Salisbury Close. I was just two! Looking back, I think I took my Christianity for granted. I was privileged with a wonderful family, a spectacular place in which to grow up and a good education at Leadenhall (yes, they took boys then!), the Cathedral School and later, Sherborne and Cambridge.

My faith wasn't tested nor did I challenge it until very much later - when Sue and I lost our first baby due to a freak genetic abnormality. From that moment on, I needed to know lots more about my faith, my church, science, morality - and myself.

Every MP continually faces the tensions of conflicting loyalties - conscience, family, national interest, constituents, Party. If only I was an agnostic bachelor of foreign descent, with a vast majority and an Independent, it would all be so easy! And so pointless, too. For I am not a delegate, but a representative - which means I have to make judgments on behalf of other people.

The Salisbury end of my life is much about fighting for the rights of individual constituents and groups in our community. The Westminster end is more about judgments and casting votes. The easier votes are those where I accept collective responsibility for the policy of my Party. The difficult ones, without exception, are the 'unwhipped' conscience votes. That's where my faith comes in. That's when I rejoice that the Church of England is serviceable, accessible, evocative, worthy of respect and tolerant. We are in tune.

Over the years I have voted on capital punishment (for), restricted abortion (for), the morning after pill (for), 'Clause 28' (for), equality of the age of consent (for), euthanasia (against), therapeutic cloning (for). On every one of these divisive issues I sought the advice of a priest before voting. I have never dissented from the advice I was given.

Long before it became 'the Church by law established', the Church of the English, from its Celtic roots and Augustinian re-foundation, had been organically part of the nation and its people. The triumph of Elizabeth I's Reformation settlement was that our church firmly rejected the excesses of both Rome and Geneva, squarely and rationally facing and embracing the challenges of new knowledge, science and technology - all of which are God-given, but requiring man's wisdom and judgment to separate use from abuse.

I am increasingly aware of the moral and ethical dimensions of political dilemmas - and the theology and doctrine of the Anglican Church are my tower of strength (do check out my website at www.robertkey.com for my explanation of my vote on therapeutic cloning).

There is a golden thread running through the history of the English Church , intertwined with our people (often against oppressive rulers, spiritual or temporal) and given expression in the special relationship it has with our state. We should shout from the rooftops the virtue and value of our Church of England - and I for one will argue and vote against its disestablishment.