Large donations draw scrutiny
A major financial supporter of Church of England institutions is facing renewed criticism over the gap between his public climate positions and the environmental commitments of the church bodies that have received his money.
Sir Paul Marshall, hedge fund manager, Christian donor and co-owner of GB News, has given tens of millions of pounds to influential Anglican-linked organizations, even as the television channel he backs has repeatedly been accused of giving a platform to attacks on climate science and climate policy.
£28 million given to church-linked groups
According to analysis of Charity Commission filings, Marshall has donated £28 million to prominent Church of England institutions that support climate action.
At least £13 million was given between 2018 and 2025 through his Sequoia Trust to Holy Trinity Brompton and the Church Revitalisation Trust.
Why the donations are controversial
The donations have prompted concern among Christian climate campaigners because the Church of England has made climate action a central part of its public mission.
The church says responding to the climate crisis is part of its duty to protect God’s creation and help build a just world.
Marshall’s climate views under fire
Marshall has recently criticized climate policy, saying the UK had been affected by “climate derangement syndrome.”
He has also argued that efforts to cut planet-heating emissions are making people poorer, a position that critics say clashes sharply with the direction taken by the Church of England.
Holy Trinity Brompton’s influence
Holy Trinity Brompton is one of the most influential churches in the Church of England.
It has a congregation of about 4,000 people and is closely associated with the Alpha Course, an evangelical program that Alpha International says has reached 37 million people across more than 175 countries.
Marshall’s long connection to HTB
Marshall has been part of the Holy Trinity Brompton congregation since 1997.
The Church Revitalisation Trust, also known as the Re-vitalise Trust, is run from HTB and has helped establish more than 100 evangelical churches across the UK. Marshall is also a director of the trust.
Critics fear influence over climate stance
Some critics worry that donations of this scale could shape the tone or priorities of church institutions when it comes to the climate crisis.
Those concerns have grown because GB News has been accused of broadcasting climate change denial and repeated criticism of climate action.
Operation Noah calls for answers
Rev Dr Darrell Hannah, chair of the UK Christian climate charity Operation Noah, said Marshall’s influence cannot be ignored.
He argued that a wealthy and powerful Christian figure promoting views that campaigners consider damaging on climate issues should not go unchallenged.
Church position differs sharply
Hannah said Marshall’s views are directly opposed to the Church of England’s position on the climate crisis.
He added that serious questions should be asked about donations to faith groups, particularly those connected to the Church of England, given the moral and practical importance of the climate emergency.
Church of England has net zero target
The Church of England has set out a route for all parts of the church to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
It has also divested its multibillion-pound endowment and pension funds from fossil fuel investments, placing itself among religious institutions taking a clear climate-focused position.
GB News accused over climate coverage
GB News has faced sustained criticism over its climate coverage.
A report found that around the 2024 general election, the channel broadcast 953 attacks on climate science and climate action.
Examples of disputed messaging
The channel has been accused of airing language that described global heating as “the climate scam.”
It has also broadcast claims suggesting the government planned to impose “enforced veganism,” further fueling criticism from climate campaigners and media watchdogs.
Marshall’s wider media and education role
Marshall, whose net worth is estimated at £950 million, also owns the Spectator magazine and the UnHerd website.
Beyond media, he has made large donations to schools and the London School of Economics, expanding his influence across public debate, education and faith institutions.
No response from church institutions
The Church of England, Holy Trinity Brompton and the Church Revitalisation Trust did not respond to questions sent by the Guardian.
The lack of comment leaves unresolved questions about whether church bodies see any tension between accepting donations from Marshall and their own climate commitments.
Marshall’s spokesperson defends his position
A spokesperson for Marshall said he broadly agrees with Christian and Anglican teaching on the environment and climate change.
The spokesperson said Marshall does not support net zero by 2050 because of what he sees as its negative impact on poorer communities, local economies and wider society.
Innovation over net zero
Marshall’s position, according to the spokesperson, is that human innovation should be used to adapt to and limit climate change.
The spokesperson described this as a reasonable view held by many people, including many Christians.
Economic case for climate action
Many central banks, regulators, global consultancies and academic experts have reached a different conclusion.
Studies going back to the Stern review in 2006 have found that the cost of acting on climate change is far lower than the economic damage likely to result from inaction.
Church leaders criticized Marshall in March
In March, more than 120 church leaders criticized Marshall over his climate views and GB News’s coverage of climate science and climate policy.
The group included former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and two serving bishops.
Questions over fossil fuel investments
The church leaders also raised concerns about reported fossil fuel investments worth £1.8 billion held in 2023 by the hedge fund managed by Marshall.
They asked him to be transparent about any personal conflicts of interest connected to his climate views and business activities.
Marshall’s response on global heating
In his response, Marshall said the extent to which global heating is caused by human activity remains subject to debate.
That statement conflicts with the position of the world’s leading climate scientists, whose reports have concluded for more than a decade that recent global heating has been driven by human emissions and activities.
The Sequoia Trust’s role
Marshall chairs the Sequoia Trust, a charity that supports children, young people and the general public, according to its Charity Commission filing.
The trust is run from the offices of Marshall’s hedge fund, MWAM, and had a market value of £477 million as of June 30, 2025.
HTB’s environmental policy
Holy Trinity Brompton received £5 million from the Sequoia Trust between 2018 and 2024.
Its environmental policy encourages the congregation to adopt sustainable lifestyles and make environmentally conscious choices in daily life.
CRT receives larger support
The Church Revitalisation Trust received £13 million in donations and grant commitments from the Sequoia Trust between 2018 and 2024.
Unlike previous years, the Sequoia Trust’s 2024-25 accounts did not name the recipients of its donations, although they recorded £10.2 million given to faith-based institutions.
Unclear how much went to HTB and CRT
It remains unknown how much of the £10.2 million recorded in 2024-25 went to Holy Trinity Brompton or the Church Revitalisation Trust.
Marshall declined to comment on that specific point.
Ofcom investigates GB News broadcast
The controversy also comes as GB News faces regulatory scrutiny.
In May, Ofcom opened an investigation into whether the channel breached rules on due impartiality and materially misleading content over a repeat broadcast of an interview with Donald Trump.
Trump climate remarks under review
Complainants said Trump’s claim that climate change was “a hoax” went unchallenged during the broadcast.
GB News said at the time that it stood firmly by its journalism and editorial standards, but declined to comment on Marshall’s church donations.
A difficult question for church institutions
The issue now facing Church of England-linked organizations is not simply whether donations are useful, but whether they carry reputational and ethical consequences.
Marshall’s financial support has helped major church institutions expand their work, yet his climate views and media influence have placed those same institutions under pressure to explain how they reconcile the money with their public commitment to climate action.
