Ann Widdecombe says Britain 'isn't a Christian country' as woke church 'fails' (Image: TALKTV)

       Britain hasn't been a Christian country "for some time", Anne Widdecombe has said, as research finds priests are increasingly fearful for the future of their religion.

       A landmark survey from The Times has found that three-quarters of Church of England clergy don't believe the UK is a Christian nation, with modern attitudes increasingly diverging from the country's national religion.

       Reacting to the news in a fiery interview this morning, Ms Widdecombe slammed the church, claiming it had failed as an institution to lead its followers.

       She claimed the UK remains "culturally" Christian, something she claimed the "woke brigade can't get rid of".

       Speaking to TalkTV's Mike Graham, she said her issues with the church had prompted her to turn to Catholicism.

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       The former MEP, 75, told the TalkTV host that the UK has an "enormous" connection with Christianity.

       She said: "We've got an enormous Christian history and Christian culture, something the woke brigade can't actually get rid of because it's just there.

       "But, spiritually speaking, the UK hasn't been a Christian country for a very long time."

       She added that there is "nothing new about that", as priests signal desires for a doctrine shift within the institution.

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       The recent research published by The Times found that, of 1,200 polled clergy, 64.2 percent felt that they could only described the UK as a "historically Christian" nation, while another 9.2 percent said they couldn't at all.

       The remaining 24.2 percent, less than a quarter of those polled, said they could described Britain as a Christian country.

       The research also found that priests are now hoping for the church to adapt to modern sensibilities, with support building behind a potential female Archbishop of Canterbury and a change in the Anglican position on sex before marriage, among other issues.

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       The survey found that the majority of priests felt the church should allow same-sex weddings.

       More than half (53.4 percent) backed a change to the law that would allow priests to marry same-sex couples, with a minority (36.5 percent) against the prospect.

       And more than 80 percent backed a female archbishop, with priests fearing that the church would face "extinction" if they didn't urgently adapt to modern standards being adopted by the rest of the country.

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