DON’T fall for the old lie that all politicians are the same. It isn’t true. The UK faces some big choices at this election – we are blessed to be able to make those choices freely and democratically.

In voting, take into account a mix of personal character, party policies and the beliefs and values of the candidates and their parties. Candidate and party both matter.

Don’t just vote in your own interest. Think about the common good and what sort of society you want. The big issue in this election is how we belong together.

The Pastoral Letter written by the Bishops about the election was called ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Jesus summarised the law as ‘Love God and love your neighbour as yourself’.

People are committed to caring for their neighbour. The Trussell Trust was founded here, and its foodbanks have spread across the country. It’s a great organisation but feeding a million people, including 400,000 children, shouldn’t be down to charity.

The stories Jesus told showed that everyone is our neighbour. That’s obvious in today’s inter-connected and fragile world. We must answer big questions about what it means to be English, British, European and global. We can’t pretend what happens in the rest of the world doesn’t affect us here. There are differences of opinion about how to do this best but we will need to work closely with other countries, near and far.

Coming out of a long recession, wealth creation and innovation are important. Yet we mustn’t lose sight of the things that money can’t buy: quality of life, family and community.

The biggest challenge facing the world is environmental, yet this hasn’t featured much in the debates. We are making progress but need much greater determination to move to a low carbon economy. If our environment breaks down, even the strongest economy will not save us.

Salisbury is celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. That was about holding the powerful to account. Democracy matters. Your right to vote is precious and has been hard won. It is the main way those in power are held to account. So make sure you vote.

Remember to pray for the candidates and for the person elected. They will not be able to do this demanding job in their strength alone.

n Who is my neighbour?, a letter from the House of Bishops to the people and parishes of the Church of England for the General Election 2015, can be read at: https://churchofengland.org/media/2170230/whoismyneighbour-pages.pdf.

The Right Rev Nicholas Holtam

Bishop of Salisbury