A Conservative MP has said the House of Commons should stop saying prayers at the start of its proceedings. The contentious proposal could, Jo Johnson MP said, ‘save three or four minutes every day’ and would better reflect the UK. Another Tory MP, Peter Bone, challenged this claim, saying a recent poll showed ‘75 per cent of British people thought that they were Christians’. Jo Johnson, the MP for Orpington, said ‘I am not against going to church, which is something that people should feel free to do, but it is something that MPs should be encouraged to do in their own time’. The MP is the brother of Boris, the Mayor of London. Last year the Mayor backed prayers in Parliament, saying it was helpful for both believers and non-believers. Pray: that our MPs would reject this move to restrict prayer and give God at least three or four minutes every day. (Mk.12:17)