The pastor of an evangelical church in the UK has expressed his dismay at being branded anti-gay in the wake of an apology by the Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer for having visited them.

The head of Jesus House of All Nations, Pastor Agu Irukwu said “we have felt prosecuted, judged, and sentenced unfairly”.

“Some of the language that has been directed at us can only be described as vile, abusive, hateful, and possibly criminal. It is tantamount to cyberbullying”.

The pastor has in the past spoken out against same-sex marriage and aspects of equality legislation. LGBT+ groups accused the Church of promoting “conversion therapy”, a charge the church strenuously denies.

“We do not engage in any form of conversion therapy. We, as a church, provide appropriate pastoral support, including prayer, to all our members, whatever life situations or circumstances they find themselves in. This is consistent with the basic fundamentals of freedom of speech and freedom of religion and the government’s current position.”

He added he’s “very concerned” for the thousands of churches and millions of Christians who hold traditional biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality.

“There is an increasing atmosphere of bullying and intimidation which is a cause for concern, but we do not take our lead from politicians and others.”