Just when the Republicans thought it couldn’t get any worse, it has. On Friday a leading evangelical preacher, conservative opponent of gay marriage and keen supporter of President George Bush found himself mired in allegations of paying for sex with a male escort.

It would be hard to imagine a more combustible mix of religion, politics and hypocrisy. The Rev Ted Haggard, 50, who is married with children, was the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents some 30m Christians across America, until he stepped down on Friday.

According to Mike Jones, a male escort from Denver, Haggard has, when not publicly campaigning for heterosexual marriage or preaching from the pulpit of his mega-church in Colorado Springs, been privately paying for gay sex once a month for the past three years. He also allegedly took illegal drugs immediately before indulging.

“Pastor Ted”, as Haggard, above, has become known, denied the allegations but stepped down from his ministry. He also resigned as leader of his New Life church after its board found him guilty of “sexually immoral conduct”.

It was just a “massage”, Haggard insisted, though he admitted buying the illegal drug methamphetamine from Jones. Some gay men use it to heighten sexual pleasure.

“I was tempted. I bought it. But I never used it,” he said.

Jones said Haggard’s denials were ridiculous. “What? I smoked it and didn’t inhale? It’s the same scenario,” he said.

Jones said he decided to come forward after Haggard campaigned for amendment 43 in Colorado, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. “He’s preaching against homosexuals and yet he’s having gay sex,” Jones said.

Haggard has advised the White House on evangelical matters and is a friend of James Dobson, a highly influential conservative Christian leader. Dobson said he was “heartsick” and urged Christians to pray for Haggard this weekend. A new scandal

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