Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

On 17 October Jeremy Hunt reversed 60% of the promised recent tax cuts and committed to reduce the two-year energy price guarantee to six months, while introducing ‘a new approach’ to the most needy after winter. A cut in basic income tax rate, promised by two chancellors this year, was cancelled. Pray for adequate advice and aid for those facing staggering rises in the cost of living. The changes caused political turmoil. On 18 October, senior aide Jason Stein was suspended for leaking information to the media. Next, home secretary Suella Braverman resigned because she had broken the ministerial code, and attacked Ms Truss's leadership in her resignation letter. Grant Shapps, who six weeks ago was sacked as transport secretary, replaced her. On the 19th an attempted fracking ban sparked havoc when rebellious Tories were threatened with party expulsion if they didn’t back Liz Truss. See the previous article, PM resigns.

55-year-old Jeremy Hunt, a Christian, had previously been former foreign secretary and health secretary. He is a big supporter of the cause of freedom of religion or belief. In 2018, while foreign secretary, he commissioned an independent review into Foreign Office support for persecuted Christians. The report, by the Bishop of Truro, presented 22 recommendations for the Government to make changes in policy and practice to protect freedom of religion and belief around the world. Mr Hunt goes to church on Sundays and sometimes receives communion at a midweek lunch-hour celebration in the House of Commons. Asked about his faith in 2019, he said, ‘I sometimes pray, like regular Church of England folk: it's part of my life and my identity, but I don't think it defines my politics.’

Slavery has deep, far-reaching roots in today’s society. Hidden in plain sight, it is hard to distinguish and harder to tackle. The criminals preying on vulnerable people for profit are highly networked within communities and across borders. Even when people are rescued from exploitation they can face complex and challenging routes to rebuild their lives and move forward. Despite this, there is much to be hopeful about. There is a wealth of expertise and dedication in the wide range of organisations pitted against these crimes and advocating for survivors. From police forces and criminal justice systems to businesses, charities and national and local government bodies, the trafficker is being attacked and the survivor supported on all sides. The Salvation Army holds the prime contract in England and Wales to deliver support to survivors of slavery. It thanks everyone who works with them, bringing creativity, expertise, time and resources to find solutions.

Along with over thirty other charities, Sanctuary Foundation, which helps people welcome Ukrainian refugees into their home, has written to ask the Prime Minister for assurances the Homes for Ukraine scheme will continue to get government backing and support. There is concern the initiative is being ‘quietly phased out’. Host families are worried that ministers will not increase support to match rising costs of living. Households receive £350 a month for hosting someone from Ukraine, but there are calls for that amount to be doubled. Since March, over 96,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in the UK, but a BBC investigation found that in 14 months 116 unaccompanied child refugees from across the world have gone missing from UK hotels. They were temporarily housed by the government, but charities fear they risk being exploited.

UK activists and lawmakers want an investigation after a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was beaten inside the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester. Hong Kong Indigenous Defence Force (HKIDF) members were protesting outside the consulate, on the same day as the Chinese Communist Party congress in Beijing. A video on social media shows protesters shouting outside the consulate, then rushing towards the gated entrance. Next a protester was dragged through the gate by consulate guards and beaten on the consulate grounds by a group of men , said to be Chinese consular staff, until the local police entered the consulate grounds to break up the violence. The protester was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition. The police said officers responded immediately to defuse the situation. Enquiries are ongoing to understand the full circumstances. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, ‘Our consulates have always abided by the laws of the countries where they are stationed.’

Institutions working with children should be required by law to report suspicions of child sexual abuse, a seven-year independent inquiry concluded. It found crimes are often concealed from authorities, allegations are not recorded, victims ‘treated as if they were unworthy of protection’ and blamed for the abuse. Many individuals who failed to report abuse to the police or social services failed to meet their professional or moral obligations but did not break any laws in doing so. The inquiry said ‘systemic change’ is needed to ensure reporting of allegations of child sexual abuse, and said urgent action is required to protect children. Many institutions have ‘historically inadequate measures’ which fail to safeguard children from abuse that happened and continues to happen in schools, care homes and in religious settings. Child sexual abuse is an epidemic that leaves thousands of victims in its poisonous wake.

Kintsugi Hope is a Christian charity making a difference to people’s mental wellbeing. 'Kintsugi' is a Japanese technique for repairing pottery with seams of gold. The word means 'golden joinery'. This repair makes the object more beautiful, unique indeed: Instead of hiding scars it makes a feature of them. Kintsugi Hope wants mental and emotional health to be understood in supportive communities where people grow and flourish,  and is warning churches and Christian organisations about the danger of employee burnout. Faith groups are especially susceptible to burnout: because people are highly motivated working for God, more pressure is put on them. Kintsugi Hope is offering employers training on the problem. Also the World Health Organisation has published its first ever mental health guidance to employers to help them avoid employee burnout, and a new NHS scheme will provide therapists for the workplace.

Liz Truss is coming under more pressure from some of her own MPs to rethink the tax cuts announced in last month's mini-budget. Paul Goodman, the editor of ‘Conservative Home’, a political blog, says MPs are considering alternatives to her as leader. Foreign secretary James Cleverly says Truss is sticking with her plan and removing her as PM would be disastrous. Her strategy was criticised when she attended a meeting of Tory backbenchers on 12 October. One MP accused her of wrecking 10 years of Conservative policies aimed at helping working people. Truss has repeatedly defended the proposed tax cuts, funded by borrowing, which were outlined last month. During PMQs she also pledged not to make any cuts to public spending. Pray for her as she presses on after a tumultuous first month in office. Pray for party divisions to be repaired with wise decisions. Pray for any necessary changes to be made and unnecessary options to be avoided.

This year, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles occur in October, preceded by the Feast of Trumpets in September. Along with the spring biblical festivals, these mark the agricultural and liturgical year, prompting us to remember God’s deeds in history, give thanks for His material and spiritual provision, and pray for His blessing on the year to come, including on its harvest. They are also eschatological. ‘Trumpets’ looks to the coming of Jesus, the rising up of believers, the releasing of God’s judgements, and the coming of His Kingdom (Revelation 8:6-11:19). ‘Atonement’ is fulfilled by Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:7-14), by the repentance and redemption of Israel (Zechariah 12:10-13:1), and the day of God’s favour and vengeance (Isaiah 61:1-3). ’Tabernacles’ looks forward to the final harvest and the Messianic kingdom (Zechariah 14:16-19). As we ponder our present times, give thanks that God is still working His purpose out.

Following Nigel and Sally Rowe’s recent legal victory against the department for education, which led to a £22,000 settlement for legal costs and a commitment from the Government to reform its transgender policies,  they have urged the Archbishop of Canterbury to scrap the ‘Valuing All God's Children' (VAGC) guidance in CofE primary schools. This says children as young as five should be affirmed if they want to identify as the opposite gender. The Rowes want the archbishop to do this so that staff and children in schools are properly safeguarded and protected from harmful transgender ideology and practice. They also want to meet him to discuss these points and what the CofE can do about them. Recently a charity considered ‘a reliable source on transgenderism for CofE schools’ was found to be offering chest binders to children without parental knowledge.