Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

After speaking on climate change Boris Johnson told the media he ‘genuinely believes the UK is not a corrupt country’. But sleaze accusations continue. MPs' second jobs are under scrutiny after Owen Paterson was found to have broken lobbying rules. Questions are raised about the Conservative MP and former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox who earned around £900,000 last year through his work as a lawyer, while International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said it would be ‘wise’ to review the rules around second jobs. Although MPs are allowed second jobs, they are not allowed to use taxpayer-funded resources, or premises, to do so; this rule is being broken consistently. Meanwhile MP Andrew Bowie has decided to take a step back from his role of Tory vice-chair and focus on his constituency where he holds a narrow majority of 843 votes. A friend was quoted saying, ‘He doesn’t want to make a fuss but he’s unable to support the Government after the sleaze events of recent days.’

British scientists have identified a gene that doubles the risk of dying from Covid-19, opening up possibilities for targeted medicine and providing new insights into why some people are more susceptible to the disease than others. Researchers at Oxford University found that 60% of people with South Asian ancestry carry the high-risk gene. The discovery partly explains the high number of deaths seen in some British communities, and the effect of Covid in the Indian subcontinent. The scientists found that the increased risk is not because of a difference in genetic coding of the proteins, but because of differences in the DNA that makes a kind of ‘switch’ to turn a gene on. That genetic signal is likely to affect cells in the lung. The study shows that the way in which the lung responds to the infection is critical. This is important because most treatments have focused on changing the way in which the immune system reacts to the virus.

Hundreds of ‘climate pilgrims’ have trekked miles from across the UK and Europe to Glasgow’s COP26. Some waved flags, others played musical instruments; many carried religious banners. Numerous intercessors prayed as they journeyed and will continue praying in Glasgow streets throughout the two weeks of COP26. We can pray along with them. Pray for world leaders to agree to act swiftly and justly transitioning the global economy from fossil fuels toward renewables. Pray for communities already affected by climate change to be fairly compensated. Pray for delegates to have the wisdom, compassion, humility and courage necessary to work in unity to safeguard the future of all life on this fragile planet. Pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire political leaders to embrace every single change needed to cultivate a more sustainable society, and may we all acknowledge the responsibilities God has placed upon us as stewards of His creation.

The Earth is sending a message to COP26. Delegates must commit to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. China, the world's largest emitter, committed to achieve this by 2060 and India, the third largest emitter, by 2070. Ask God to convict delegates of greed and pride. May they re-assess all commitments and actions according to Micah 6:8 and act justly, love mercy and walk humbly under God’s authority. The Least Developed Countries group said, ‘Raising global ambition and increasing climate finance is paramount to our survival’. Pray that after COP26 the actions of powerful nations will reaffirm their positive pledges. In recent years more than two out of three deaths in the least developed countries were caused by droughts, wildfires, and floods. Pray that this crisis is treated like a crisis, and in the midst of the many voices clamouring to be heard important issues will be understood and positively acted on by decision-makers.

The UK’s work to tackle modern slavery in developing countries has had limited long-term impact. Its strategy did not build on existing international efforts and experience, and failed to adequately involve survivors - though the Government played a prominent role in raising the profile of the issue globally. Consequently the Government is now reviewing its strategy, to shape how the UK tackles modern slavery in years to come. Civil society organisations were consulted on the development of this strategy. Parliament scrutinised the situation at a hearing on 14 April. Now there are follow-up discussions on government responses to various recommendations. Please pray that key points on access to justice will form part of the Government’s strategy. This process is a key link in the accountability chain, providing Parliament and the public with an account of how well government departments have responded to reviews.

Malachi 4:6 says, ‘He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers’. We pray for this to happen in these days. May fathers and mothers rediscover their roles and lead their families with God’s wisdom, love, peace and righteous values. We pray that parents will raise their children with loving discipline and counsel that reflect Christian values. Father in heaven please help the fathers in this nation to re-discover the power of strong love, the kindness of Godly discipline and the blessing of patient encouragement, raising a generation of children fully equipped for their future. We cry out for the children across this nation to experience Godly discipline from fathers balanced with the nurture of mothers. Father, please heal the hearts of parents where regret and failure have caused them to feel guilty, and will you help those living in poverty, particularly single parent families.

England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, predicted that there are hard months to come in the winter because Covid levels are running very high. Too many people believed the pandemic was now over, and winter could ‘potentially be problematic’. He also said there were signs that infections were starting to ‘penetrate’ older age groups, and how Christmas is affected would depend on a whole range of behaviours. We can pray for the nation to recognise that caution is still needed around the elderly, and face coverings should continue to be worn in appropriate places along with social distancing. Meanwhile the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, which provides advice to the Government, said that while the infection rate is high, the current case numbers are not ‘out of control’ although we are at a ‘relatively important crux point’. The total of UK infections recorded on 3 November was 41,299, higher than most of Europe.

After Arlene Foster stood down from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), her replacement only lasted three weeks. Then Sir Jeffrey Donaldson took over the leadership at a significant moment for NI, as it has come to terms with the effects of Covid and battled the repercussions of Brexit. There have been significant changes on things like abortion and same sex marriage. Although the Church spoke out against changing legislation, Donaldson is concerned over the diminishing church voice. He said that church leaders now find it difficult to speak out in public to give a faith-based perspective on social issues and are not being salt and light in our society. He also believes prayer is the most important thing that the church has available to it: ‘I often encourage Christians to intercede and to give prayerful support to those of us who are involved as Christians in the political process’. 

Sir Keir Starmer accused Tories of ‘wallowing in sleaze’ after they voted to protect the Conservative MP Owen Paterson from suspension over lobbying claims. Starmer said the Labour party would not have anything to do with a complete and utter sham process and will boycott the commission set up to overhaul the parliamentary sleaze system. Boris Johnson initially threw his weight behind an amendment tabled by Andrea Leadsom which will halt Paterson’s punishment until a new cross-party committee, chaired by John Whittingdale, has examined the standards system. But now, the level of cross-part opposition has forced Boris Johnson to withdraw this plan, and Owen Paterson has resigned as an MP.

A British trawler was seized by France and another fined, in fishing rights arguments. The French checks on UK trawlers overnight are not part of the range of retaliatory actions announced in the post-Brexit row. But there is no doubt it is a message of what is to come. From 2 November British and Channel Islands fishing boats will not be allowed to offload fish at French ports. There will be intensified controls at Calais and other entry points for UK trade by ferry and tunnel. The French authorities will conduct a ‘grève de zèle’ (punctiliously looking for violations) on fish and other imports which will create long tail-backs to remind British subjects of the costs of go-it-alone. The UK government said the threat of sanctions was ‘not what we would expect from a close ally and partner’. The boat owner said his fishing activity for scallops was ‘entirely legal’.