CHURCH leaders across Lancashire have urged people to get out and vote - but not for the BNP or other far-right parties.

A joint statement by 13 Christian leaders, including Bishops of Blackburn and Burnley Nicholas Reade and John Goddard, says voter apathy “allows the unacceptable to creep under the wire.”

The statement has been signed by leaders of the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Salvation Army and the United Reformed Church.

Although the BNP is not mentioned in the Churches Together statement, interfaith development officer Rev Steven Hughes said it would be “reasonable” to assume the party was its target.

The leaders, from six different denominations, said: “Please vote to ensure that the voice of faith is fully engaged with the political process. As church leaders in Lancashire we write to encourage you first to push back the tide of apathy that is seeing fewer citizens engage in the democratic process.

“However you cast your vote, make it reflect the God who cherishes every citizen, the God who calls us to live peacefully with one another, the God who commands us to value the humanity in every soul.

“If you sense that the party you are considering voting for may not reflect these eternal and universal values, please consider another party.”

Mr Hughes said it would be wrong for clergymen to tell people who to vote for, but added: “There are one or two parties, of which the BNP is one, that we do not think it is appropriate for church members to vote for. The BNP is proscribed for police officers and indeed church ministers, so we can reasonably say that.

“Also, if lots of people vote, the odds against any slightly dubious party gaining power are reduced.

“I would find it highly unlikely that Jesus Christ would support any of these extreme parties. He was the one who healed the centurian servant and went out to the Samaritan woman. He went beyond the boundaries of ethnic backgrounds.”

Robin Evans, East Lancashire campaign organiser for the BNP, said: “Not all church members agree with that and it is hypocritical of these leaders to suggest they do.

“I thought Jesus was supposed to be on everyone’s side, and I would suggest it is wrong for the church to interfere in elections anyway.”