The Labour Party has pledged to introduce comprehensive legislation to ban gay conversion therapy without any loopholes if it wins the upcoming general election. The Government has faced delays in announcing its own plans for a ban, partly due to concerns from various religious groups about potential impacts on their practices. Shadow equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds has denounced conversion therapy as abuse and criticised the delay in banning it. Many church leaders have expressed support for banning specific conversion therapy practices but are concerned that a full ban might hinder their ability to pray with individuals experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction. They cite an example from Australia where similar legislation led to challenges to church teachings and prayer practices.
Judges in England and Wales have been instructed to delay sentencing hearings due to overcrowded prisons. There are concerns that convicted criminals may avoid jail time because of the lack of available prison space. Lord Edis, the senior presiding judge, has directed that sentencing for individuals on bail should be postponed, starting next week. The Government is also considering early releases as a measure to manage the growing prison population. The prison system is operating under intense pressure, with projections indicating that the population will exceed the number of operational prison places by November. Shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood criticised the government's handling of the prison system, labelling it a ‘damning indictment’. Security minister Tom Tugendhat emphasised that those convicted of serious crimes would still go to prison for extended periods, citing the government's commitment to increasing prison capacity. The government is even exploring the possibility of renting prison cells overseas to address overcrowding.
Northern Ireland: PSNI sends advice by text
12 Oct 2023
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has sent texts to nearly two thousand individuals whose phone numbers were discovered during drug raids. These texts contain advice on substance misuse and aim to address the growing demand for illicit drugs in Northern Ireland. Drug seizures and drug-related arrests have both increased by 10% this year. The PSNI's recent focus has been on the supply of Class A and Class B drugs through social media apps and groups. This trend has transformed the drugs market in Northern Ireland over the past few years. Paramilitary groups are working closely with organised crime groups to import and distribute drugs: about sixty criminal gangs currently operate in the region. The PSNI is working with national and international law enforcement partners to target suppliers and supply lines. It is also collaborating with Border Force to prevent drug smuggling through Northern Ireland's ports.
Poland: bitter election campaign splits country
12 Oct 2023
In the old shipyard in Gdansk, where striking workers were once the catalyst for major political change, young Poles now worry that the rights and freedoms won by the Solidarity movement over three decades ago are at risk, as the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS) campaigns to secure a record third term in office. Critics point to the shrinking independence of the courts under PiS and backsliding on women's rights, including a near-total ban on abortion. There is also concern about media freedom - publicly-funded TV becoming a government mouthpiece - as well as acrimonious wrangling with Brussels on issues from judicial reform to migration. Many Poles regard the election on 15 October as the most important since 1989, when Solidarity candidates swept the board in the first partially-free vote since communist rule. In such a polarised race, much of the campaigning has been nasty: opposition leader Donald Tusk has referred to the government as evil and called the prime minister Pinocchio. Mateusz Morawiecki’s party consistently claims that Tusks’s party represents ‘foreign interests’, painting him as a traitor and a stooge of Berlin. Opinion polls put PiS narrowly ahead - though possibly without a large enough majority to form a government.
In the 85th week of the war, Russia is trying to freeze Kyiv’s four-month-old counteroffensive which has succeeded in wresting back half the territory captured earlier this year and depriving Russia of control of the western Black Sea. On 6 October Russian forces resumed an offensive effort against the city of Kupyansk: they are also attempting to capture Avdiivka, an eastern city which they have surrounded to the north and south. These tactical operations aimed to stop what has been a slow but steady Ukrainian advance, ahead of the Russian presidential elections. Despite these attacks, Ukraine seems to be pressing on with the counteroffensive. Meanwhile, two Ukrainian brothers have been accused of responsibility for organising the Russian missile strike on a shop and café in the village of Hroza, also on 6 October, which killed 55 civilians out of a population of 350: see
Israel / Hamas conflict: ongoing war
12 Oct 2023
On 12 October, Israel said there would be no humanitarian break to its ‘total siege’ of the Gaza Strip until all its hostages were freed, even though the Red Cross pleaded for fuel to be allowed in to prevent overwhelmed hospitals from ‘turning into morgues’. Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas movement which rules Gaza, in retribution for the deadly attack on 7 October, when hundreds of gunmen poured across the barrier fence and rampaged through Israeli towns. The death toll in Israel is at least 1,300, with more than 2,700 injured and about 150 taken hostage: in Gaza it is at least 1,400, with over 5,600 wounded. The only power station in the enclave has run out of fuel, and already some 340,000 have been made homeless by Israel’s bombing campaign. Hamas militants holding Israeli soldiers and civilians hostage have threatened to execute a captive for each home in Gaza hit without warning. Meanwhile, Israel has shelled towns in southern Lebanon in response to a fresh rocket attack by Hezbollah: see
Israel / Hamas conflict: what to pray for
12 Oct 2023
On 12 October, Israel said there would be no humanitarian break to its ‘total siege’ of the Gaza Strip until all its hostages were freed, after the Red Cross pleaded for fuel to be allowed in to prevent overwhelmed hospitals from ‘turning into morgues’. Israel has vowed to annihilate the Hamas movement which rules Gaza, in retribution for the deadly attack on 7 October, when hundreds of gunmen poured across the barrier fence and rampaged through Israeli towns. The death toll in Israel is at least 1,300, with more than 2,700 injured and about 150 taken hostage: in Gaza it is at least 1,400, with over 5,600 wounded. The only power station in the enclave has run out of fuel, and already some 340,000 have been made homeless by Israel’s bombing campaign. Hamas militants holding Israeli soldiers and civilians hostage have threatened to execute a captive for each home in Gaza hit without warning. Meanwhile, Israel has shelled towns in southern Lebanon in response to a fresh rocket attack by Hezbollah: see
Middle East churches' symposium ahead of COP28
12 Oct 2023
Dave Bookless of A Rocha writes: ‘On 4-5 October I spoke at a symposium on “Ecumenical Perspectives on Climate Change” held in Beirut by the Middle East Council of Churches. It was remarkable to see all the diverse cardinals, metropolitans, bishops and archimandrites, and hundreds of robed and bearded priests and seminary students, all coming together to address creation care. All the churches of the region were represented - an amazing witness to Christian unity. The whole event was televised across the Middle East. Amazingly, all the Churches of the Middle East have agreed to a joint statement and call to action which will be presented at COP28, due to be held in Dubai at the end of November.’