Matthew was pleased to bring Rehman Chishti, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, on a visit to meet church leaders in Edgware.

Speaking on a range of issues, questions arose about the Persecuted Christians report by Bishop Mountstephen, religious persecution in the Middle East and freedom of expression in a more secular Great Britain.

Matthew said: “Rehman and I have both worked on religious freedom during our time in Parliament. This has included discussions with the Pakistani Government on a visit to the country and visits to a Hindu temple and a synagogue in Bahrain. People rightly discuss Islamaphobia and anti-Semitism in the UK but it should not be forgotten that Christians are the persecuted minority in many countries including China, North Korea, Nigeria and Syria.”