Displaying items by tag: Government

The family of a Colombian man who is believed to have killed himself at a Heathrow immigration removal centre say he begged for help and was willing to leave the UK. Frank Ospina died on 25 March, within a month of being detained, while he was waiting to be deported. His family say that he had no existing mental health problems. The BBC has been investigating conditions inside immigration centres, at a time when the Government is taking a harder line on migrants. Documents have shown mounting strain on detainees because of the delays in processing their cases, and  also there was an incident in which a group of detainees tried to kill themselves three days after Mr Ospina's death. This news comes ahead of the publication of a report, due soon, into abusive behaviour by staff at the Brook House facility, a centre near Gatwick. A public inquiry was launched following a landmark undercover Panorama investigation in 2017: see

Last month we prayed for water quality to be improved and managed before protected areas are built upon. This week the House of Lords blocked the Government's plan to relax restrictions on water pollution to encourage house building in England. Governments often lose votes in the House of Lords, but what makes this one stand out is that ministers can't revive this plan easily. Because it is a new idea, parliamentary procedure means the only way to have another go would be attaching it to another proposed law, or bill. This is a row that gets to the heart of one of the biggest issues in contemporary domestic politics. Building more homes in England in places people want to live. Labour plans to solve environmental concerns by letting developers build but ensuring they have sorted out the environmental issues before anyone can move into the new homes.

The Government refused to attend a UN review of its treatment of disabled people after an inquiry warned of grave violations of disabled people’s rights. The UN report found welfare reforms had adversely affected disabled people. The UK's delegation should have gone to the Geneva hearing on 28 August to assess their progress, but the Government pulled out, saying it would meet UN officials in March 2024 instead, sparking anger from campaigners. The UK published responses to the UN's recommendations in 2018, 2021, and 2022, and was to give a further update this year. After its no-show there were feedback sessions with British disability rights groups who complained, ‘No one from the Government heard the facts and stories of increasing poverty, lack of support, inaccessible services, and an infrastructure that limited the life chances of disabled people’.

Greenpeace activists unfolded 200 square metres of oil-black fabric over the home of Rishi Sunak and unfurled a banner saying ‘Oil Profits or Our Future?’ in front of the manor house, protesting against North Sea oil and gas drilling licences amidst a summer of escalating climate impacts. See Christian Aid warned the Government that issuing 100s of new oil and gas licences ‘flies in the face of climate science.’ They went on to state that ‘Now more than ever, UK’s Government must show leadership and strengthen their climate plans to protect millions in low-income countries. Instead, these wrongheaded priorities on new oil and gas licences obliterate the UK’s net-zero commitments and lets down people on the frontline of the climate crisis. The Prime Minister needs to put people and planet first.’ Pray for the government to acknowledge the calls from environmental campaigners and recognise that there needs to be an end to North Sea drilling.

An Ipsos poll of 1,087 people conducted between June 30 and July 3 suggests Rishi Sunak still has a long way to go to restore the Conservatives’ reputation for competence. Just 23% of people questioned said they think the Tories can run the country competently, while 57% said they cannot. The poll was not completely positive for Labour either, with the public divided on whether they like the Opposition’s policies. 27% say they do, 28% say they do not, and 25% say they don’t know much about them.

The Children's Society reports that parents spend on average £422 a year on secondary and £287 on primary uniforms, despite government rules meant to lower the costs. Schools requiring parents to buy costlier branded items were partly to blame. One mum said, ‘Constantly replacing damaged clothing makes it even more expensive’. Under changes to the Education Act last year, schools should be helping cut costs by promoting cheaper second-hand uniform options or removing unnecessary branded items from uniform lists. But pupils still must have an average of three branded uniform items. Almost 1/3rd of secondary school pupils must own four to five branded items, and 45% of parents said school uniform policies had still not been updated. Pray for more clothing banks like Reloved who provide pre-worn uniforms free to families struggling with costs. In 11 months it has supported 3,000 families, and demand is rising as the cost of living soars.

The secretary of state has announced that in October a new Health Services Safety Investigations Body will be formally established to commence a national investigation into mental health inpatient care settings. It will investigate a range of issues, including how young people with mental health needs can be better cared for, how providers can learn from tragic deaths that take place in their care, how out-of-area placements are handled, and how staffing models can be improved. The recommendations from this far-reaching investigation will help service providers to improve safety standards in mental health facilities across the country. Also a further £2.3 billion is being invested into the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England, so that two million more people can access crucial NHS-funded mental health support. Pray for this to ensure that mental health care facilities meet the highest safety standards. Pray for patients to be able to say they have faith in the care they receive.

As another scandal hits the Tory party, its MPs are even more gloomy about how the Prime Minister can project the government as honest and professional. MPs endorsed a report saying that Boris Johnson lied over Partygate. But 225 of Boris’s former Conservative MP colleagues were absent, including Rishi Sunak who has not said if he agrees or disagrees with the report’s findings. See Eight months into Boris’s leadership, he faced Covid. Eight months into Rishi’s leadership, he struggles to distance himself from the Conservative chaos and deliver a government of ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability’ as he promised in October. A former cabinet minister said, ‘We can’t sell a vision to the public if Rishi doesn’t have one himself. He needs to think big, be creative, and articulate a dream the public will want to live by.’ Pray for Rishi Sunak to have heaven's wisdom in the current crisis.

The UK competition watchdog has launched a review of the artificial intelligence market, as it warned of threats from AI tools including the distribution of false or misleading information. This announcement comes as global regulators increase scrutiny of the technology, look at the underlying systems, and foundation models behind AI tools such as ChatGPT. The US vice-president invited the CEOs of leading AI firms to the White House on 5 April to discuss how to deal with the safety concerns around the technology in a week when hundreds of millions of pounds were wiped from the share price of UK’s education company Pearson after a US provider of online help to students revised its financial forecasts and warned ChatGPT was affecting customer growth. Global companies like Google, Apple and Amazon may have to pay penalties of up to 10% of their turnover as the Government gives its competition watchdog more power.

‘We are concerned by the ongoing conflict in Sudan and the effect this is having on the population’, commented Stephanie Draper, CEO of Bond, which represents 400 global bodies fighting poverty. ‘Some humanitarian workers are sheltering and will attempt to resume their work when it is safe to do so. We urge the UK government to deploy all the humanitarian and diplomatic levers at their disposal to support those in need when it is safe to do so.’ Caroline Duffield, a former international radio correspondent in Africa, said, ‘The decision on whether to stay or go is a matter for prayer and also for hope. It's just looking very, very difficult. People we've been in contact with ask us to pray that Christians remain hopeful and not give up on the possibility of a peaceful future for Sudan.’ Pray for God to give the Christians in Sudan strength, endurance and protection.