Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

‘Father, when we look at all that is going on around us today, it would be so easy to pray according to how the media lead us, or how our own reasoning would have us intercede. Lord, please give us Your perspective when we watch and pray over challenges in our politics and the UK's participation in international affairs. Lord God, we, along with the rest of the nations, continue to face the Covid crisis and its derivatives. May You bring about your kingdom's purposes through this season of sickness and uncertainty. Finally, Father, our communities need to be powerfully reached for Christ; alert us to the pitfalls of self-made agendas that don’t have Your anointing. Wake us up to Your power living in us, and grow us up in the fivefold ministries, so that we produce a harvest of kingdom fruit. In 2022 may Your church walk powerfully in your purposes.‘

A recent report concluded that 36% of farming people in England and Wales were 'probably or possibly depressed', 52% 'experienced pain and discomfort', 25% had 'mobility problems', and 58% of women in the sector said they 'experienced mild, moderate or severe anxiety'. The most common sources of stress were regulations, compliance and inspection, Covid, unpredictable weather, and loss of subsidies. In response the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution has launched two new mental-health support and counselling services. Pray for all agencies and individuals who are providing farming people with practical and moral support. Also, rural CofE churches report that ‘clergy and congregations are increasingly pessimistic about the long-term future of their churches’. Leadership was seen as a critical issue. However, through Covid, it seems the Lord has ‘sifted’ His church: some have fallen away, but others have drawn closer to Him.

The Government wants to ban what it calls 'conversion therapy', putting it on a collision course with the freedom to give and access appropriate support for unwanted same-sex feelings and gender confusion. The official consultation ended on 4 February, but the battle does not end. Civil servants will summarise the responses to the consultation and start drafting legislation. Unless the Government drops its plans, MPs and then the Lords will examine the proposed laws - some opposing them, but others might make the ban even more overbearing. At every stage, we need strong, principled Christian leadership working with parliamentarians and in the media to stop this ban - or to make sure it strictly applies only to genuinely harmful practices (these are already illegal and/or not happening in the UK anyway). 30 MPs are concerned about the proposals, and even the Equality and Human Rights Commission has criticised the plans.

Electricity and gas bills for a typical household will go up by 54% in April because the energy price cap - the maximum amount suppliers in Great Britain can charge consumers - has been raised. Meanwhile oil giant Shell announced a huge increase in profits, four times the level recorded last year. The new price limit means 18 million households will pay £1,971 a year for gas and electricity. Another 4.5 million people on prepayment metres will see a bigger increase. The Chancellor plans to soften the blow via council tax rebates and help with bills. This would provide the majority of families with a total of £350 to help them adjust to higher prices. However many believe that with profits booming in recent months because of the spike in energy prices, the North Sea oil and gas producers who have recently made a fortune should be asked to contribute to ease the cost of living catastrophe.

The government's 332-page Levelling Up White Paper,published on 2 February, aims to ‘change the economic model of the UK’. The areas for improvement are as follows: pay, employment and productivity to rise; more investment in research and development; public transport connectivity everywhere to be closer to the standards of London; nationwide 4G broadband coverage, with the majority having 5G coverage;more primary school children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths; more people completing high-quality skills training; the gap in life expectancy between highest and lowest narrowed; well-being improved everywhere; people engaging more in local culture and community; secure paths to ownership for renters; first-time buyers increasing; homicide, serious violence, and neighbourhood crime to fall in the worst-affected areas. Boris Johnson said levelling up would involve investing in towns, cities, rural and coastal areas. He has created a brand-new government department dedicated to these proposals. However, the Institute of Economic Affairs described them as dubious in quality.

Michael Gove admitted that people in some areas have been ‘overlooked and undervalued’ by Westminster for years. Truro Foodbank is in one of the poorest UK areas; its manager said levelling up won't be effective unless low wages are addressed. Many in Cornwall are not on a national pay structure, so have 23% less pay. They have higher water bills because of the coastal areas and now there are rising utility bills. He said, ‘Financial pressure comes from how much your income is, and what you've got to pay out. 66% of the people receiving foodbank parcels are on low incomes. Levelling up will see 5G mobile data coverage for the “large majority” of households. But this will mean little to struggling households. There’s an expectation that everyone has a smartphone. Those who haven’t are disadvantaged because they can't even make an application for help in the first place.’

New quarterly London figures reveal that one in three rough sleepers are under 35. The Salvation Army warns that many young people are on the edge of homelessness. The Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) quarterly report released on 1 February showed 2,949 people slept rough in London between October and December 2021, a 1% rise on the previous quarter. 45% of them were sleeping rough for the first time. The Salvation Army said, ‘When tackling homelessness, prevention is better than a cure. By the time you have no choice but to sleep on the streets, the road back to health, housing and happiness can be a very long one. While the CHAIN figures give a snapshot of rough sleeping, our research shows how close so many young people are to the threat of homelessness. There is no easy solution and many will need ongoing support to help break the rough sleeping cycle.’

Studies are underway to find the precise characteristics of the latest Covid-19 variant, BA2. Accounting for over half of sequenced Omicron cases in 57 countries, it appears more transmissible than the original strain and more able to infect the vaccinated. BA2, nicknamed ‘Omicron's little brother’, was mentioned for the first time during a press conference on 20 January and is being scrutinised by scientists. It appears to have a growth advantage compared to the version of Omicron that has swept the globe. Analysis suggests it could be substantial, although there is a risk of over-estimating growth advantage in the early stages. What we know is that it is a growing proportion of cases. There are no precise data yet on its resistance to vaccines or the severity of the cases.

The Foreign Office is withdrawing some embassy staff and dependents from Ukraine in response to the Russian threat, stating, ‘The British embassy in Kyiv remains open and will continue to carry out essential work’. Meanwhile, supported by Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, it is accusing Russia of plotting to install Yevhen Murayev, a pro-Moscow figure, to lead Ukraine's government. Other Ukrainian politicians who maintain links with Russian intelligence were named, some allegedly working on an invasion plan. These include Mykola Azarov, who was prime minister under pro-Russian President Yanukovych; Volodymyr Sivkovych, former deputy head of national security and under US sanctions for working with Russian intelligence; and two pro-Russians who were previously Ukraine’s deputy prime ministers. The foreign secretary said, ‘The information being released shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine, and is an insight into Kremlin thinking.’

Defence secretary Ben Wallace will soon be travelling to Moscow to meet Russia's defence minister, but he is lowering expectations of a diplomatic breakthrough. He says there is a chance a Russian invasion could be stopped, but he’s ‘not optimistic’. The UK's response to Russia's military buildup has been more muscular than most. They have supplied Ukraine with 2,000 light anti-tank weapons and troops to help train them. But not all NATO allies are willing to do the same. Germany's new government warned ‘supplying Ukraine with weapons could escalate the conflict’. Instead, Berlin is supplying Ukraine with ‘non-lethal’ field hospitals and 5,000 military helmets. Poland and Latvia have publicly criticised Germany's stance. Wallace hopes that Germany will support tough economic sanctions. After meeting NATO’s secretary general, Mr Wallace said the UK could support NATO by ‘increasing forces on land, sea or air to deter any further Russian aggression’, and could send Ukraine more weapons.