In December 2018, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office commissioned an independent review of the persecution of Christians around the world, with recommendations to follow about how the Government could respond more proactively and robustly. The timing of this seems particularly important: the United …
Peacemaking
50 Years of Continuous At Sea Deterrence: What is there to celebrate?
This month marks 50 years of our nuclear weapons submarines sailing out of Faslane, Scotland. Powered by silent nuclear reactors, the submarines are designed to be undetectable. The Ministry of Defence wants a national celebration of the undoubted technical achievements of our Continuous At Sea …
Following the murder of Jamal Khashoggi the UK must halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia
In August of this year Saudi Arabia faced an international outcry when dozens were killed when a Saudi missile hit a school bus in Yemen. However, the UK continues to do multi-million pound deals with Saudi Arabia, selling Typhoon jets for use in Yemen as well as other high end weapons …
“Dangerous and unnecessary” – On Hiroshima Day we highlight the Church of England’s new thinking on nuclear weapons
At a ceremony in Hiroshima this morning the Mayor of Hiroshima, Mr Kazumi Matsui, described the hellish scene of the blast that morning 73 years ago. Recounting the agony of the victims, he told the audience to listen "as if you and your loved ones were there." Sadly the possession of nuclear …
Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, the death penalty and concerns around hypocrisy
It is the longstanding policy of the UK to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. But Parliament this week held an emergency debate following the revelation that the Government has compromised this policy. The government intends to provide evidence for a trial in …
Peace Resources for Youth Groups
This set of four interactive bible studies are designed to be used by Christian youth groups to enable discussion and reflection on peacemaking and Christianity: Download youth sessions Download extra resources Download powerpoint …
Could Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un establish a relationship of trust?
The Trump/Kim summit due to take place in Singapore on Tuesday 12 June is a meeting of historic significance. There has never been a face-to-face meeting between a sitting US President and a leader of the North Korea (DPRK). If all goes well, we might see a plan for the de-escalation of …
The starless midnight of Gaza – praying for peace
On the 15th day of every month Methodists around Britain and Ireland pray with Christians in the Middle East. Today I held my Methodist prayer handbook alongside my newsfeed, and I almost wept. Two weeks ago I was in Israel and Palestine, and as I prayed I pictured the people I met. With the …
Pulling the plug on the Iran deal
The complete collapse of the Iran deal would be disastrous[1] but could the Trump administration still score a foreign policy success with Iran? Donald Trump takes personal credit for Kim Jong-Un’s recent decision to halt missile and nuclear warhead testing. He was backed by most of the …
House of Lords debate the Nuclear Ban Treaty today
Today the House of Lords will debate the Nuclear Ban Treaty. Our churches call on the UK government to engage constructively with UN-led disarmament summits. Leaders of UK churches have made the following statement: - …