The Westminster Declaration, an election statement signed by a number of socially conservative Christians, has been criticised by Christian political groupings from across the spectrum.

PM Gordon Brown has launched a new consultation involving the Labour Party, churches and faith communities. It will focus on identifying the values held in common by different faiths and beliefs - ones that also echo with the non-religious.

A priminent Labour MP, speaking on behalf of the Christian Socialist Movement, has condemned the "hysterical and largely uninformed media response" to Archbishop Rowan Williams' lecture on civil and religious law in Britain.

The Christian Socialist Movement (CSM) has joined Methodists, the Anglican Bishop of Hume, the Archbishop of Canterbury and numerous other church and civic leaders in expressing disappointment at the granting of a licence for a regional super-casino in Manchester.