Some of Britain’s most senior religious figures call today for an end to “intolerant and unlawful” attempts to restrict the rights of Christian Unions on university campuses.

In a letter to The Times, eight Church of England and Roman Catholic bishops, as well as Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, are among those who urge student associations and university authorities to take action to halt the alleged discrimination.

Thousands of Christians on campuses across Britain claim that their right to freedom of expression is being challenged by student associations attempting to force Christian Unions to allow anybody, regardless of faith, ethnicity or sexuality, to sit on their ruling committees and to address their meetings. The Christian Unions say that they should be allowed to restrict committee membership to those who share their core beliefs.

The Times revealed last week that Christian Unions at Exeter, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities have been suspended by student guilds or had privileges removed after claims that they discriminate against non-Christians. The Christian Unions, who believe that they are being singled out because they are a “soft target”, are considering legal action.

In today’s letter, the signatories call for the suspended Christian Unions to be “reinstated with full rights as a student society forthwith”.

They add: “Of course university guilds and associations have a responsibility to ensure that official societies are run in a proper and lawful manner. However, this does not give them, or anyone else, the right to restrict or change the essential belief of those societies, or impose as leaders people who do not share those core beliefs.

“Christian union meetings and events are open to all students to attend.

“In fact, as a faith-sharing organisation, CUs specifically invite people who do not share the Christian faith to attend their meetings. However, the executive committee of CUs act rather like charity trustees, and as such they are responsible for two things: firstly, that funds donated to the CU are used only to further the stated objects, and secondly, that the object of the union, the proclamation of the Christian gospel (as understood by orthodox Christians around the world), is advanced.”

The Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, the umbrella group for Britain’s 350 Christian unions, has described the problems faced by CUs on campuses as “unprecedented” during the course of its 83-year history. Pod Bhogal, the fellowship’s head of communications, said that the discrimination was the result of “political correctness gone mad” and an increasingly secularist agenda across all aspects of society.

The four CUs have been told that they have strong cases and that they should they press ahead with court action.

The CU at Birmingham was suspended from the official list of university societies this year after refusing to change its constitution to allow non- Christians, including those of “transgender” sexuality, to address meetings, At Exeter the CU had privileges removed, including free access to university rooms after the student guild ruled that its statement of beliefs breached its equality guidelines.

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