Government is morally corrupt, Church says

London: Leading Bishops in the Church of England have accused the government of being "morally corrupt" and delivered a damning verdict on Labour's time in power.

Five of the church's most senior figures said the government now presided over a country suffering from family breakdown, unhealthy reliance on debt and a growing divide between rich and poor.

The bishops of Durham, Winchester, Manchester, Carlisle and Hulme said ministers had squandered their opportunity to transform society and introduced policies that led to greater inequality and hardship.

Labour sacrificed principled politics for policies designed to win votes, they argued. They described the government as "tired" and its policies as "scandalous".

Meanwhile, in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, David Cameron accused Gordon Brown of leading Britain to the "brink of bankruptcy".

The Conservative leader said the "debt crisis", which he claimed was the Government's responsibility alone, would serve as the Prime Minister's "political epitaph".

Relations between the government and the church have become increasingly fractious following condemnation of Brown's spending plans by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the publication of a report that accused the government of marginalising the Church.

In February, the General Synod will hold a debate on the implications of the financial crisis that is expected to lead to heavy criticism of the government.

The Rt Reverend Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, said ministers had not done enough to help the poor.

"Labour made a lot of promises, but a lot of them have vanished into thin air," he said.

"We have not seen a raising of aspirations in the last 13 years, but instead there is a sense of hopelessness.

"While the rich have got richer, the poor have got poorer. When a big bank or car company goes bankrupt, it gets bailed out, but no one seems to be bailing out the ordinary people who are losing their jobs and seeing their savings diminished."

The Rt Reverend Nigel McCulloch, the Bishop of Manchester, condemned Labour for encouraging people to get further into debt.

"The government has acted scandalously. This is not just an economic issue, but a moral one. It's about what we value," he said.

"The government believes that money can answer all of the problems and has encouraged greed and a love of money that the Bible says is the root of all evil.

"It's morally corrupt because it encourages people to get into a lifestyle of believing they can always get what they want."