A British millionaire has pledged to personally fund legal representation for Christian street preachers who face police action, saying he is “outraged and shocked” by arrests and warning that Britain has developed a “double standard” against Christians.
Businessman Samuel Leeds has committed to paying for legal representation for Christian street preachers targeted by police, telling Truth Times he is “outraged and shocked” to see Christians arrested for preaching “in a Christian country”. In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, Mr Leeds warned that Britain has developed a “double standard” against Christians, called for the country to “turn back to God”, and argued that pressure on Christianity is coming not from immigrants but from within Britain’s own institutions.
His pledge comes amid growing public debate over the treatment of Christian street preachers in Britain. Recent cases have included Pastor Dia Moodley, who was arrested while preaching in Bristol before police later took no further action, and Pastor Steve Maile, whose arrest while preaching in Watford — over allegations he denies — sparked widespread debate online about freedom of speech and religious expression. Mr Leeds says he wants Christians facing police action to have access to proper legal representation rather than being “simply silenced”.
‘Prepared to put my money behind defending them’
Explaining his public commitment, Mr Leeds said the sight of street preachers being detained had moved him to act.
“I am outraged and shocked to see Christians getting arrested on the streets and being told that they’re offensive for preaching about Jesus when we are living in a Christian country,” he told Truth Times. “We see Christians being persecuted all over the world, but seeing it happen in Great Britain — seeing the disdain, the hatred and now the oppression of Christian voices — really bothers me.”
Having been successful in business, he said, he felt it was “only right and appropriate for me to put my hand in my pocket and help these people”. His aim, he explained, is to ensure Christians receive “proper legal representation rather than simply being silenced by police officers who sometimes overstep the mark and don’t even understand the law themselves”.
“Where Christians are being unfairly targeted simply for preaching their faith, I’m prepared to put my money behind defending them.”
A ‘double standard’ in modern Britain
Asked whether it was fair that highly sexualised advertising and near-nudity draw little scrutiny while a preacher reading from the Bible can face police intervention, Mr Leeds was blunt.
“No, it’s not fair. Britain has definitely developed a double standard,” he said. “We’re a Christian country that’s tolerant of everybody and every religion — apart from, increasingly, Christians themselves.”
‘The only hope for Great Britain’
Mr Leeds has previously declared that “the only hope for Great Britain now is turning back to God and repenting on its knees” — a statement he stands by.
“God blesses us when we follow His principles in the Bible,” he said. “I’m a Christian. I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But when you turn your back on God, take His name in vain and openly mock Jesus Christ, which has become so normal in Britain, you cannot then expect everything to continue prospering without consequences.”
Quoting scripture — “the wages of sin is death” — he argued that turning away from what he called God’s principles carries a cost. “The UK is in a mess right now. No matter who you vote for or who’s in power, ultimately, the real answer is that people need to turn back to God.”
Is there a deliberate agenda?
Pressed on whether he believes a deliberate campaign against Christianity is under way in Britain, Mr Leeds stopped short of alleging a coordinated plot — but said the country’s direction of travel troubles him.
He pointed to the historical suppression of Christianity in communist states, arguing that “it is much harder to have complete control over somebody who has strong morals and believes that their ultimate accountability is to God rather than the state”. In his view, Britain is “heading towards an increasingly state-controlled society, almost communist in certain respects”.
Yet he also sees grounds for optimism. “There’s a revival happening. There’s a U-turn taking place. People are waking up and people are coming back to God,” he said. “Is there one deliberate, coordinated agenda against Christianity? I’m not sure. What I am sure about is the direction we’re heading in — and I find it deeply concerning.”
Recent polling lends some weight to his talk of a revival. Figures from YouGov’s bi-annual tracker show that belief in God among 18 to 24-year-olds has almost tripled in just three and a half years, rising from 16 per cent in August 2021 to 45 per cent in January 2025. Among 25 to 49-year-olds, belief has risen more modestly over the same period, from 21 per cent to 33 per cent.
Church attendance is also on the rise. Two YouGov polls, conducted in 2018 and 2024, recorded a 56 per cent increase in UK adults attending church at least once a month — up from eight per cent to 12 per cent, with weddings, baptisms and funerals excluded from the figures. That shift means the total number of monthly churchgoers grew from 3.7 million to 5.8 million people in just six years.
On the King, multiculturalism and national identity
Responding to King Charles’s recent update to his official role, in which the monarch stated he seeks to “protect the space for faith within our multi-faith nation”, Mr Leeds argued that Britain’s leaders have become “embarrassed to stand firmly on the Christian roots of our country” for fear of causing offence.
“We absolutely should be tolerant and inclusive of people of all religions and faiths. Everybody should have the right to their own personal beliefs,” he said. “But the way our leaders pander and seem afraid to offend anybody is ridiculous.”
Drawing a comparison with travelling abroad, he added: “If I go to a Muslim country, I will respect Islam. I certainly wouldn’t be offended by hearing about Islam because I’m visiting a Muslim country. That’s completely reasonable. Britain is a Christian country. We shouldn’t have to apologise for that.”
He likened the attitude to suggestions that displaying an English flag could be seen as insufficiently inclusive. “It’s this kind of ridiculousness and wokeness that’s damaging our country. We can respect everybody without being ashamed of who we are. Tolerance does not mean surrendering your own identity.”
Defending the Church of England
Mr Leeds also responded to Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski’s call for the disestablishment of the Church of England and the removal of its constitutional role — a proposal he believes sends the wrong message.
“What many politicians and leaders forget is that throughout generations, churches have looked after the sick, fed the hungry, helped house the homeless and cared for countless vulnerable people in our society,” he said. “Good churches aren’t just nice things to have for historical reasons. They’re a necessity.”
Churches, he argued, “should be supported by our leaders, not scoffed at, ridiculed or told to be quiet when Christians are out on the streets promoting the message of Jesus”. He acknowledged that “not every street preacher goes about it the right way and not every church is perfect”, but insisted that “good, active and thriving churches are a huge net positive to our country. We should be strengthening them, not dismantling their place in British society.”
Zack Polanski at House against hate gathering in London March 2026
‘Migration is not the problem’
On the question of whether Britain’s Christian foundations are being eroded by immigration from Muslim-majority countries, Mr Leeds pushed back firmly against blaming newcomers.
“Migration is not the problem here,” he said. “If people are coming into England to work and add value, their religion or faith, quite frankly, is irrelevant.” Those arriving must “respect the culture, religion and beliefs of the people in that country”, he added — “and most people do.”
The pressure on Christianity, he argued, comes from elsewhere. “Ironically, the pressure is coming from within our own institutions. We see it in interactions with the police, in the constant pandering from some of our leaders and in this apologetic mentality where we seem to be apologising for being British, apologising for flying an English flag and apologising for being Christian.
“I don’t understand what we’re so apologetic for. We’re Great Britain. We’re a Christian country. We should be tolerant, but we should also be proud. Those two things are not contradictory.”
‘Don’t just be angry — do something’
Asked what message he would send to British Christians who feel their faith is being pushed out of public life, Mr Leeds urged action over outrage.
“Rather than becoming consumed by how woke Britain has become or simply getting angry — albeit sometimes with righteous anger — at the police, political leaders, government and those trying to get churches closed down or street preachers silenced, do something positive about it,” he said.
“If you’re a Christian, draw closer to God. Connect with your local church. Attend your church. Support it and donate to it if you can. When you see a problem or a need, rather than just complaining about it or being outraged, fill the gap.”
His own contribution, he explained, is “financing legal cases where Christians and street preachers don’t have the money or the know-how to ensure they’re properly represented and receive a fair trial”. But he stressed that everyone can play a part, whether by attending their local church or donating to projects such as food banks, homeless outreach and support for vulnerable people.
“Don’t just be angry about what’s happening,” he said. “Draw closer to God. Stand up for what you believe. Support your church. And do something about it.”
Who is Samuel Leeds?
Samuel Leeds is a British property entrepreneur, investor, author and content creator. After leaving school at 16, he built a successful property investment business and went on to found one of the UK’s largest property investment training companies. Leeds has written several books on property investing and business and has built a substantial online audience through his educational content.
He also studied theology at the Birmingham Bible Institute, where he explored the relationship between faith, ethics and wealth, and has spoken publicly for many years about integrating Christian values with entrepreneurship. Beyond business, he founded the registered Samuel Leeds Foundation, a UK charity that supports poverty relief, church initiatives and community projects in the UK and Africa.
In recent months, Leeds has become increasingly active in Christian public life, launching a campaign to buy churches at risk of being sold to developers and converted into flats, with the aim of keeping them open for Christian worship and community use.
This interview was conducted exclusively by Truth Times. Publications quoting or republishing material from this interview should credit Truth Times as the original source and include a follow backlink to the original article.
