The PM’s keynote speech at the Conservative Party conference was marred by a series of misfortunes: an incessant cough, interruptions by a prankster, and problems with the backdrop. She valiantly ploughed on with a speech designed to shift the focus from Brexit infighting to domestic policy on energy bills and council housing, but the accident-prone presentation made some people question how long she could carry on. Newspaper headlines made dismal reading the next day, with words like ‘ordeal, shambles, tragic, disaster’ on the front pages. Pray for God to give the Government a united positive vision for the future, and help the nation to recognise the vision as possible. Pray for the media to focus on the trustworthy character that those who know Mrs May give her credit for; may they focus on the positive words spoken by our leaders. Ask God to repair all that is broken in the Westminster community, lifting them out of a place of fear and disunity.

Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire has made a fresh appeal for political parties to restore the devolved government at Stormont. At the Tory conference he said that while the DUP and the Tories were separate parties, they were working together at Westminster, ‘standing firm against Jeremy Corbyn’. He promised the Government would ‘provide the necessary political stability and governance’ if no deal is reached, including setting a budget for the province later this month. In the past, he said, the political parties had resolved issues and displayed the leadership to create stability. ‘So my message to you is: now is the time to reach agreement. Now is the time to look beyond the issues that divide you. Show the resolve you have demonstrated in the past.’

Conservative Anglican church group GAFCON has said some Primates may walk out of the Anglican Communion Primates' meeting, over the issue of same-sex marriage. The Scottish Episcopal Church will be asked to repent for its decision to let clergy conduct same-sex weddings last June. The Archbishops of Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda refused to attend a recent Anglican Primates' meeting over what they deem to be a weak stance in the Church on the issue of sexuality. Meanwhile on 5 October Justin Welby said that a ban on Scottish Anglicans taking part in some votes and holding certain offices ‘will be followed through’, after a meeting where anger and disappointment were expressed. The ban would involve exclusion from debate on doctrine and from chairing Anglican Communion committees. Archbishop Welby said that no vote was taken against the Scottish Anglicans by the Primates, but there was a ‘consensus’.

The senior council of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has voted for the decriminalisation of abortion, despite protests that there should have been a members’ ballot on this. Decriminalising abortion would remove moral standards for abortion practice from national legislation, trivialise legitimate moral concerns, and portray abortion as morally neutral. It would no longer be possible to ban dangerous DIY and sex-discriminating abortions. There might be regulations, but without legislation what makes those regulations anywhere close to enforceable? If abortion is viewed merely as a form of contraception, that would promote sexual irresponsibility. Additionally, decriminalisation could see some doctors come under fire for refusing to carry out abortions, which would be a further injustice. It also would run contrary to the Hippocratic Oath, taken by all those entering the medical profession.