Displaying items by tag: Parliament

MPs debated the Gemma White report of bullying incidents in the Commons on 17 July. Coincidentally, a day after another inquiry found that staff were ‘bullied and harassed’ by ‘known offenders’ in the House of Lords. The commons decided to allow the parliamentary complaints scheme to investigate historical allegations of bullying and harassment incidents, which date from before June 2017. It comes after a report said that there was a ‘significant problem’ of MPs bullying and harassing staff, including some making unwanted sexual advances. Fewer than 30 MPs were in attendance at the debate, where the Commons Leader said MPs must ‘bring forward much needed change at the earliest possible opportunity’. Pray for the lewd, aggressive and intimidating behaviour by certain MPs and senior staff that has been tolerated and concealed for years to be finally revealed and offenders to be publicly condemned.

Bishop Graham Tomlin wrote in the Sunday Times, ‘Prayer reminds me that my opponents are people too, that they deserve respect even if I think they are profoundly wrong. We need our politicians to pray because we need them to know that they are not God, that whatever power they have is borrowed. They need to treat each other well, debate wisely and carefully, and know they are accountable not just to us and our passing fads, but to something bigger, deeper and more final - a God whose Kingdom will last long after Brexit is a footnote in the books of history.’ We can pray for all struggling to break the Brexit deadlock to find time to attend Parliament church services this term. See

The Conservative 2017 manifesto said, ‘The United Kingdom is leaving the EU and we will no longer be members of the single market or customs union’. Labour’s manifesto said, ‘Labour accepts the referendum result’. Psalm 15 says the ones who speak the truth from their heart; who keep an oath even when it hurts, and do not change their mind, will dwell with God. Currently the two parties are ‘talking’ of ways to bring about Brexit despite a paralysed parliament. Nextdoor, in the House of Lords, Bishop Donald Allister called on MPs to sacrifice some of their principles and unite for a Brexit solution. Outside, MPs are being intimidated by the public, and the police have 10,000 officers ready to deploy should no-deal violence in the streets erupt. The police chiefs’ chairman said people should think carefully to avoid inciting others to violence.

On 27 March, MPs voted on a series of eight different Brexit options and rejected them all. The next morning Conservative MP Stephen Crabbe said, ‘We would have been leaving tomorrow had people rallied round and supported the prime minister. Instead, different groups of MPs were all holding out for their own versions of Brexit, and that’s a recipe for chaos.’ Our God who rules the nations is not a God of chaos. We can pray for the UK to be ruled by people with the discernment to maintain order (Proverbs 28:2). We should remember that the debate now is focused on the terms of the UK's exit from the EU. The conditions of the future relationship between the country and the bloc, assuming the UK leaves at all, still have to be negotiated.

Theresa May is considering Labour’s demands for a parliamentary vote on the UK’s future EU relationship as the price for backing her Brexit deal in her battles with Conservative Eurosceptics. She needs another 110 votes to get her deal through the House of Commons. Labour said the package of greater guarantees for workers after Brexit, unveiled on 6 March, will convince a few to vote for her withdrawal bill; but she could win dozens more representing leave-voting areas with a parliamentary vote on the future relationship with the EU. The view from Brussels is pessimistic, and many believe a delay to Brexit day is likely. Five EU diplomats said, on condition of anonymity, ‘Not much is moving. The UK keeps insisting on the same things, time limit and unilateral exit. We keep explaining why this can’t happen.’ Bulgaria's foreign affairs minister said, ‘We are open to an extension of Article 50, but it should be with a clear firm orderly Brexit.’ See

Conservative MP Crispin Blunt has tabled a motion for the tradition of saying prayers at the beginning of parliamentary business to be abolished. This call comes with the backing of eight other MPs and the National Secular Society (NSS). Mr Blunt, an honorary associate of NSS, stated on its website, ‘Whilst religious worship occupies a strong part in some people's lives, it should no longer play a role in the way we conduct our political affairs as an independent, open and diverse nation’. The House of Commons’ main daily prayer, first used in 1558, asks for God’s guidance so that MPs ‘never lead the nation wrongly through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy ideals’. Keith Vaz suggested an amendment to Blunt’s motion, resulting in the bill saying the opposite of its author’s intention: see

Dame Louise Ellman MP, the vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, presented a bill in Parliament on 9 January under the ten-minute rule, arguing that British taxpayers are funding the teaching of a curriculum that preaches martyrdom and jihad. She told the House of Commons that young Palestinian minds are being poisoned, and the opportunity for Britain to help promote the values of peace, reconciliation and coexistence is being squandered. ‘This is not about a peaceful future. It is a scandal.’ Britain will donate £125 million to the Palestinian Authority by 2021, and. £20 million will go towards the education curriculum. The bill, which is supported by a handful of MPs,l will be read for a second time on 8 March.

As the Parliamentary vote on 15 January draws near, here are some facts to help generate informed intercession. The ‘meaningful vote’ will be on the draft Withdrawal Agreement. If MPs pass it, the deal will have less of a problem passing through the House of Lords. However, the Government appears likely to lose any vote on the current deal. Brussels will not reopen the agreement, fearing demands from member states over such matters as fishing issues and Gibraltar. It may offer small tweaks to a non-binding political declaration and/or a statement from EU lawyers on the backstop not being permanent. Meanwhile there need to be clarifications and reassurances over an invisible border in Ireland. We can pray for the boundaries, borders and sovereignty of this nation to be established and concluded according to God’s plans and timing, as God’s Spirit blows powerfully through Parliament.

On 23 October, Diana Johnson MP will bring forward a motion to Parliament under the ten-minute rule. Her proposal is to introduce abortion access in Northern Ireland, but in reality it would remove all the current legal safeguards around abortion, with drastic effect. Abortion campaigners want to remove sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Persons Act. This would have the effect of making the Abortion Act 1967, along with all the legal safeguards it provides, void through to at least 24-weeks. Abortions could happen for any reason, without any legislative protections or safeguards for women or the unborn.

Parliament is sitting again, and the following are some general pointers to guide you in praying for our national life together. Pray for our MPs - their faith, the pressure of being away from home, their workload as they serve their local communities. Thank God for freedom to pray and worship together, and pray that this precious freedom is protected by our politicians. Pray that Christian MPs, peers, policy staff and house staff will grow in numbers and in the depth of their faith, and also that they will be a positive and gracious influence in Parliament. Pray for politics of wisdom, integrity, self-sacrifice and policymaking for the good of all, and for effective and gracious Christian presence and influence in political debate. Pray that the Christian groups in each of the main parties will grow in influence and the positive contribution that they can make.