Prime minister's pious Easter message contrasts with joke that his Christianity is like patchy reception of Magic FM
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David Cameron issued an Easter message in language Tony Blair would loved to have used if he had not been blocked by Alastair Campbell. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Perhaps it is the excitement of the royal wedding where he will watch the marriage of a future Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
But David Cameron, who once likened his faith to the patchy reception of Magic FM in the Chilterns, has become a little pious.
The prime minister's Easter message was crafted in language Tony Blair, a man of deep faith, would loved to have used if Alastair Campbell had not ordered him to keep quiet about his faith in public. Campbell famously said: "We don't do God."
This is Cameron's Easter message:
I would like to send my best wishes to everyone here in Britain and across the world as we come together to celebrate this very special festival in the Christian year.
Easter is a time when Christians are reminded of God's mercy and celebrate the life of Christ. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus taught us to love God and love our neighbour. He led by example and for millions of us his teachings are just as relevant now as they were in his lifetime.
As we share in this festival with our friends and family, we can all be reminded of the enormous contribution Christianity has made to our country.
Easter reminds us all to follow our conscience and ask not what we are entitled to, but what we can do for others. It teaches us about charity, compassion, responsibility, and forgiveness. No matter what faiths we follow, these are values which speak to us all.
I would like to send my best wishes to you and your families at this time, and enjoy a very Happy Easter.
Could this be the same David Cameron who likened his faith to the patchy reception of Magic FM in the Chilterns? This is what the future prime minister told myself and Patrick Wintour in July 2008:
I believe, you know. I am a sort of typical member of the Church of England. As Boris Johnson once said, his religious faith is a bit like the reception for Magic FM in the Chilterns: it sort of comes and goes.
That sums up a lot of people in the Church of England. We are racked with doubts, but sort of fundamentally believe, but don't sort of wear it on our sleeves or make too much of it. I think that is sort of where I am.
Downing Street would no doubt argue that there is no inconsistency. They will say that the Easter message is in the tradition of prime ministerial messages which mark important celebrations for all major faiths.
But referring to the Gospel of Mark and saying how "Jesus taught us to love God" is not a neutral statement about faith.
The prime minister's interest in Christianity may come as a surprise to people of faith who know him and who have not discerned any great commitment to Christianity in the past. Some members of the Cameron circle have even been heard to make jokes about Evangelical Christians in the party. Cameron is said to have a testy relationship with fellow Etonian Nicky Gumbel who is the driving force behind the Evangelical Alpha course.