Plymouth Brethren church denies allegations it paid far-right activists to target election

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has denied allegations that it secretly paid far-right activists to stage stunts targeting politicians during the 2025 federal election in Australia, according to reports from the Guardian, the Canberra Times, the ABC and ua.news. The claims emerged during a parliamentary inquiry into election conduct. Reports said the church’s director, Lloyd Grimshaw, appeared at the inquiry via video link.

The inquiry’s interim report suggested that democracy was “under assault” from third parties, including the Brethren church and the rightwing lobby group Advance, as reported by the Guardian. The church categorically rejected these accusations and said its involvement in the election was limited to voluntary support for polling activities.

The Canberra Times reported that the inquiry was examining claims of political influence from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, a movement with around 16,000 adherents whose members are not permitted to vote. During the 2025 federal election, multiple candidates reported an unusual number of Liberal volunteers at pre-poll booths, especially in closely contested seats. Many of these volunteers were believed to be members of the Plymouth Brethren. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned that such interference poses a significant risk to democracy.

The ABC reported that the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church was due to be heard by the parliamentary inquiry. It also cited the Sydney Morning Herald as reporting that the Brethren had enlisted the help of far-right individuals to monitor and disrupt members of the Labor and Greens parties. The ABC said these reports prompted calls from political figures for further clarification about the group’s involvement in the electoral process. The inquiry, according to the ABC, aims to assess the extent of the Brethren’s involvement and its implications for electoral integrity. These claims were attributed to reports and have not been established by the inquiry.

Ua.news reported that the church had denied paying for the persecution of candidates. It said the allegations suggested that members of the group, previously known as the Exclusive Brethren, coordinated actions by far-right influencers to harass candidates and monitor their movements. The report attributed its account to ABC News Australia.

Influencer Lawrence McIntyre was also named in the ua.news report, which was incomplete in the material available and did not provide further detail on his alleged role.