London. The news from Texas landed on desks in the Department for Education like a grenade. Governor Greg Abbott has signed a law requiring Bible reading in state schools. Westminster's education mandarins are aghast.
This is not a distant curiosity. This is a live grenade for the British political class. The culture wars have a new battlefield. And No. 10 is trying to work out if it should take sides.
Let's be clear. The Texas decision is a legislative earthquake. From September, every public school classroom in the state will display the King James Bible. Teachers will be required to read passages aloud. The law explicitly allows 'instruction in the biblical foundations of Western civilisation'. Critics call it a breach of the separation of church and state. Supporters say it's restoring America's Judeo-Christian heritage.
But why should you care? Because this is not just an American story. This is a story about how the cultural right, emboldened by victories in the US, is now looking across the Atlantic. And there are people in Westminster who are listening.
The reaction from British education experts has been swift and fierce. 'This is a dangerous step backwards,' said Dr. Alison Mawson, a senior lecturer in education at the University of Cambridge. 'It violates the principle of secular education. It imposes a specific religious viewpoint on all children, regardless of their beliefs.'
She is not alone. The National Education Union issued a statement calling the mandate 'a profound mistake' that 'threatens the inclusive ethos of modern education'. The British Humanist Association described it as 'state-sponsored religious indoctrination'.
But here is the thing. The political winds are shifting. There is a new generation of Conservative MPs who admire the American model. They talk about 'Judeo-Christian values' and 'cultural renewal'. They have been watching the Texas manoeuvre with interest.
'I think it's a positive development,' a backbench Tory MP told me over the phone, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'We've allowed secularism to hollow out our schools. Maybe it's time to push back.'
That view is not yet mainstream. But it exists. And it is growing. The question is whether No. 10 will try to contain it.
The PM's official spokesman was non-committal when asked. 'The Department for Education works to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum,' he said. That careful phrasing is designed to avoid entering the culture war. But the war is coming, whether Downing Street likes it or not.
Labour is already positioning itself. Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson called the Texas mandate 'an assault on reason'. 'We will not allow that kind of extremism to take root here,' she said at a fringe event. The party is preparing a package of measures to protect 'secular education'.
But the real danger for the government is not from Labour. It is from its own benches. A small but vocal group of MPs is calling for a 'British version' of the Texas law. They argue that the Church of England is already established, so why not a formal role for scripture in schools?
'It's a slippery slope,' said a senior civil servant, who asked not to be named. 'Once you start down this path, where does it end? Mandatory prayers? Teaching creationism as science?'
The polling data is mixed. A recent YouGov survey found that 52% of Britons oppose mandatory Bible reading in state schools. But among 2019 Conservative voters, that figure drops to 38%. The culture war divides the coalition.
And the Americans are watching. The Texas governor's office has already received calls from UK-based religious groups offering support. The 'Jericho March' network, which campaigns for Christian nationalism, has expressed interest in replicating the model.
This is early days. The Department for Education has no plans to follow Texas. But the message from the Right is clear: the secular settlement is under review. The battle lines are being drawn.
In Westminster, the lobby correspondents are sharpening their pencils. This story has legs. And it is coming to a school near you.
This is Eleanor Rigby. Keep watching the polls. Keep watching the backbenches. The game is afoot.
