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Keir Starmer has apologised after he visited a church where a senior pastor advocated against gay equality laws.
The leader of the Labour party was criticised from within his own party after he posted a video online highlighting his visit on Friday to Jesus House for All the Nations church in Brent, north London.
On Monday, he tweeted to say he accepted it was a “mistake” to visit the church, which has opened its premises up as a vaccination centre, but said he was “not aware” of the pastor’s views.
“I apologise for the hurt my visit caused and have taken down the video. It was a mistake and I accept that,” Sir Keir tweeted.
The church’s senior pastor, Agu Irukwu, has previously attracted controversy for speaking out against same sex marriage and equality legislation.
The Labour Campaign for LGBT+ Rights had branded Sir Keir’s visit and subsequent social media endorsement of the church’s work as “unacceptable”.
“I completely disagree with Jesus House’s beliefs on LGBT+ rights, which I was not aware of before my visit,” Sir Keir said on Monday.
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Following the party leader’s apology, the Labour Campaign for LGBT+ Rights tweeted: “Thank you Keir Starmer.
“We are pleased that you have recognised and apologised for this mistake.
“We look forward to working with you to end conversion therapy and achieve equality for LGBT+ people.”
After raising the matter with the leader’s office, the group said last week that it had received an “unreserved apology” and would be holding a further meeting to ensure it did not happen again.
In the now-deleted video, Sir Keir praised Jesus House as a “wonderful example” of a church serving its community during the coronavirus pandemic.
“From rolling out the vaccine to running the local food bank, Jesus House, like many other churches across the UK, has played a crucial role in meeting the needs of the community,” he said.
In 2017, Theresa May was criticised when she visited the church, although Boris Johnson and the Prince of Wales have both been to the pop-up vaccination centre there in recent weeks without attracting widespread comment.
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