The attorney general has been advised that it would be lawful to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the post-Brexit arrangement which requires some checks on goods between Britain and NI. This angers both Unionists and the EU. There has been no power-sharing executive for several months after the DUP withdrew in protest against the protocol. In the recent election Sinn Féin, whose goal is for NI to become one country with the Republic of Ireland, won the most seats and needs to form a government. It cannot take up the office unless the DUP nominates a deputy first minister. The DUP's leader said his party would respect the election result, but changes needed to be made to the protocol. Boris Johnson has said the most important treaty is the Good Friday Agreement, which established a cross-community power-sharing government to end decades of violence.
Foodbank users can’t cook properly, says MP
13 May 2022
Tory MP Lee Anderson has said that poor people use foodbanks because they cannot cook properly; they haven’t got the skills to budget appropriately or do a proper weekly shop, ‘like we did back in the day’. Mr Anderson said he was not ‘being a nasty Tory.’ ‘The point I was making was that there are a lot of people out there who with the right help, the right support, and the right education, would be able to fend for themselves.’ The Trussell Trust foodbank network said, ‘Foodbank need in the UK is about lack of income, not food.’ Mr Anderson’s expenses claim last year was £220,000. The Independent Food Aid Network wrote to the chancellor warning they are close to ‘breaking point’ after an unsustainable surge in demand due to the cost of living crisis.
Ben Wallace warnings
13 May 2022
As Russia staged a military parade marking its defeat of Nazi Germany, the defence secretary accused Russia of hijacking their ‘forebears' proud history’ and said their generals must face war crimes trials. Mr Wallace said, ‘Russia is not interested in occupying Mariupol; he is simply destroying it. Russia's brutality in Ukraine could send incredibly dangerous messages if Putin was successful. It would indicate to powers around the world that they ‘just need to be more brutal than others to achieve their aims. If Putin is successful in Ukraine, then watch out.’ He also said the Government was in this ‘for the long haul’ and would continue providing Ukraine military and financial support, plus more sanctions targeting £1.7bn of new import tariffs on Russian goods used to make parts for mobile phones and computers. Export bans will target chemicals, plastics, rubber and machinery. It takes the value of products subject to UK sanctions to over £4bn.
Recession and windfall tax
13 May 2022
The UK could be heading for a recession. The economy contracted by 0.1% in March, and higher prices are ‘really beginning to bite’, the Office for National Statistics said. People are spending less in shops and cutting down on car journeys; the impact of higher energy bills in April has also yet to be seen. Many price rises are just starting to hit households now. Last week the Bank of England forecast that inflation could reach more than 10% by the end of the year. It warned the UK faces a ‘sharp economic slowdown’. The chancellor has threatened to hit energy companies with a one-off ‘windfall’ tax if they don't invest enough in new projects. Opposition parties want to tax the soaring profits of oil and gas firms to help families grappling with rising bills. Treasury officials have been ordered to examine a potential tax, and Boris Johnson said the Government would have to look at the windfall proposal if not enough investment was made.
Police will investigate Starmer ‘Beergate’
13 May 2022
Keir Starmer insists he did not break coronavirus lockdown laws by having a beer and a curry at a ‘campaign event’. A source who was present at the meal said, ‘It has been claimed that Starmer worked during the curry and then after the curry. None of those two things happened. He did not go back to work.’ He added, ‘Some of those present at the event with Sir Keir and deputy leader Angela Rayner were not working at all and were just there for a jolly’. Durham police are looking into the event. ‘Sir Keir Starmer has been economical with the truth about “Beergate”', said Dominic Raab. But he did not call for Sir Keir’s resignation if police fined him. Instead he said his party would remain focused on the economy, not engaging with the beer saga. ‘If he's going to be talking about his curry menu for the next week, we're not going to be engaged in that.’
Black Sea becomes a war front
13 May 2022
Ukrainian military officials said on 7 May that they had sunk another Russian warship in the Black Sea. The ship was a craft designed to transport and deploy troops to the shore. The strike was executed with Turkish drones, which Ukraine has relied on during the war. Just weeks after the Russian flagship Moskva missile cruiser was hit by Ukraine’s missiles and sunk, this Russian warship was left burning in the Black Sea. A reliable naval source verified that a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile struck the vessel, with a large number of Russian aircraft circling overhead. Russia’s fleet is shrinking. See also
Russia’s and Ukraine’s mission fields
13 May 2022
Christian missionaries in Russia have been referred to as ‘volunteers’ since 2016 after a law was passed that limits religious proselytising. Ukraine has become a launching pad for missionaries to Russia, where there is little or no religious freedom. A Ukrainian missionary wrote recently, ‘Our church has formed a team to help with the different aspects of receiving refugees, among other related activities. On 1 March I went to a military installation in Chișinău, where refugee Indian medical students from Odessa were sheltering. Some students were thankful to see a pastor and pray with him. They have studied medicine in Odessa for six years, and had just two months to complete graduation when the war came and they had to leave. They want the war to end soon, and they can return to Ukraine to complete their studies.’
Sri Lanka: more anti-government unrest
13 May 2022
We prayed for Sri Lanka in April.l Please continue praying as protesters across the country are torching houses and businesses belonging to various ministers and MPs belonging to the ruling Rajapaksa family. During this week’s violence and looting PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned, and a luxury holiday resort owned by his son was torched by a mob. Over 200 people were injured and eight murdered in three days. The protesters want President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mahinda’s brother, to leave office. He has grossly mismanaged the economy, and they insist he must stand aside. In his first national address since protests began last month, he offered to cede some of the president's power to parliament but ignored calls to resign. Security forces are shooting law-breakers and looters on sight, and thousands of police and riot squads are patrolling the streets with tear gas and water cannons.