But how odd that in this heathen nation of empty pews, where churches' bare, ruined choirs are converted into luxury loft living, a Labour government - yes, a Labour government - is deliberately creating a huge expansion of faith schools.

She later apologised for using the term. By spring 2009 Polly Toynbee had become sharply critical of Brown arguing that he had failed to introduce the social-democratic policies he promised and was very poor at presentation too. Having advocated Brown to succeed Blair as Prime Minister Polly Toynbee continued to endorse him in the early part of his premiership.

During the 2010 general election Polly Toynbee called for tactical voting to keep out the Conservatives with the hope that this would lead to a Lab-Lib coalition supporting proportional representation. She was appointed President of the British Humanist Association in July 2007. Mary Louisa Toynbee known as Polly Toynbee (born 27 December 1946) is a British journalist and writer and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998.