Church of England £100m fund stalled by media and lobbying campaign
The Church of England faces intense pushback and a legal challenge over its planned £100m Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice, which aims to atone for historical links to the transatlantic slave trade. reported that the initiative, known as Project Spire, has stalled beyond its original 2024 launch date due to a coordinated media and lobbying campaign led by critics including retired professor Nigel Biggar and Conservative MP Katie Lam.
The endowment fund managed by the church commissioners was valued at £11.6bn when research into its historical origins was ordered in 2019. Initial findings revealed that funds partly originated in Queen Anne’s Bounty, founded in 1704, which invested significant sums in the South Sea Company and received benefactions from individuals such as the slave trader Edward Colston. Subsequent work by historians using the Register of British Slave Traders showed that C of E clergymen also financed the Royal African Company.
The Launch of Project Spire and Initial Disclosures
In January 2023, the church commissioners published a 25-page report. The report declared an intent to set up a £100m fund to invest and generate returns supporting communities most affected by African chattel enslavement. Bishop Rosemarie Mallett, chair of the independent oversight group, stated that the fund would grow from small beginnings to inspire constructive atonement.
A Church of England vicar appeared on GB News days after the announcement to object, arguing parishioners would be put off donating when money was perceived to be scarce. noted that the subsequent media and lobbying campaign effectively paralyzed the rollout of the initiative well beyond its planned timeline.
Paul Marshall Provides Media Platforms for Opposition
Wealthy City figures provided substantial platforms for the opposition movement. Sir Paul Marshall, co-founder of the hedge fund Marshall Wace, is linked to the campaign through his stable of media outlets, which includes the Spectator magazine, the broadcaster GB News, and the comment website UnHerd. Marshall acquired the Spectator in 2024 and funded right-wing lobbying groups and organisations connected to Biggar.
Biggar published numerous articles against Project Spire across publications such as the Spectator, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, and the Times. In the House of Commons, Katie Lam coordinated opposition, including a December letter from 27 MPs and peers to incoming Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, accusing the church of pursuing legally dubious vanity projects.
Critics Cite Incomplete Polling Data Against Project Spire
Critics cited a poll of 500 churchgoers conducted by Merlin Strategy and reported in the Sunday Telegraph, which found that 61% might withhold donations if parish support funds became unavailable. However, the initial reporting omitted findings from another question in the same poll showing that 61% would maintain or increase contributions, compared with 34% who would reduce them. The Guardian understood that the Telegraph story originated from a press release sent by Lam that omitted Biggar’s involvement in commissioning the poll.
The church maintained that money for Project Spire would not be diverted from parishes, pointing out that funding for churches and clergy rose by 36% to £1.6bn for the current three-year period.
Legal Challenges Stall Reparative Justice Fund Rollout
The church acknowledged in July 2026 that it faces an active legal challenge regarding the fund, introducing potential years of additional delay to the implementation of Project Spire. While philanthropic donations from trusts such as the Sequoia Trust continue to flow toward evangelical networks like Holy Trinity Brompton and the Church Revitalisation Trust, the formal rollout of the £100m reparative justice fund remains stalled indefinitely pending the outcome of the legal proceedings.