Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pension Secretary, says that after the Paris terror attacks, ‘people need to know there is something else in their lives', and that politicians need to be more open about their faith. He feels that MPs are ‘very wary’ about the role of religion, and added: ‘Everywhere, faith is a natural discourse. In Italy, nobody would get bothered about faith being involved in politics. I think the political class in Britain is kind of ridiculous about talking about faith.’ He also said that he has the ‘highest respect’ for faith-based charities which tackle alcohol abuse and other deep-rooted social problems.