Downing Street remained unrepentant over the Prime Minister’s visit to Jesus House today after the Sir Keir Starmer apologised for visiting the same church.
Boris Johnson’s press secretary defended his trip to the church in Brent which has been criticised for its stance towards LGBT rights.
Allegra Stratton said Mr Johnson’s attendance was "incredibly important" despite Sir Keir issuing apology over his own visit a month later.
The Labour Campaign for LGBT+ Rights said Sir Keir's visit was "unacceptable" and he has since said it was a “mistake” to visit the church.
The church recently opened up part of its premises as a vaccination centre and visitors in recent weeks have included the Prince of Wales. However, the church’s senior pastor, Agu Irukwu, has previously been criticised after speaking out against same-sex marriage and equality laws.
Asked if the PM regretted his decision to visit Jesus House, Ms Stratton said: “We remember the visit to Jesus House well because that day it was the site of a pop-up centre for vaccines.
“One of the main jobs inside Government over the last few weeks and months has been driving up vaccine take-up in communities that are hesitant about taking it – most noticeably the black community. That was the purpose of his visit that day.
“It was a profitable visit where he was able to meet black community leaders and work to increase vaccine take-up and deal with vaccine hesitancy.
“So it was an incredibly important visit, making sure every aspect of the population feels confident in and takes the vaccine is a top priority for this government.”
She said the Government was “fully committed” to advancing LGBT rights and championing equality.
Sir Keir said: “I completely disagree with Jesus House’s beliefs on LGBT+ rights, which I was not aware of before my visit. I apologise for the hurt my visit caused and have taken down the video. It was a mistake and I accept that.”
The LGBT+ Labour group later said it believed the explanation was a "genuine mistake" where "research had mistakenly not been carried out in advance of the visit".
