There are elections happening across England, Wales and Scotland on Thursday 6 May. What are the Churches doing? In terms of the number of eligible voters it will be the biggest expression of democratic opinion outside a UK General Election. However, the elections happening in …
Politics and Elections
A spending review that will hit the poorest here and abroad
Spending Reviews and budgets are always about priorities, especially when times are hard. This week, the Chancellor chose to remove money from the poorest both here and abroad, whilst massively increasing spending on the military. On many levels, these are the wrong priorities. Each of these …
Should the Government break the law? Scottish Churches say it would be disastrous
David Bradwell of the Church of Scotland offers an insight into why Scottish Churches are so concerned about the Internal Market Bill. Yesterday Scottish Church leaders wrote a joint letter to Scottish MPs and Peers on the UK Internal Market Bill expressing four major concerns about the proposed …
Security, defence, and development: an integrated review
In February of this year, the Prime Minister announced an integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. It would be the largest review of these areas since the end of the Cold War. At JPIT we welcomed such a wide-ranging brief. The opportunities offered by an integrated …
Bad news for the poor? Why the abolition of DFID matters
JPIT’s Simeon Mitchell, who worked in the international development sector for 20 years, offers a personal perspective. It might sound a harmless, even sensible, change. Bringing together the UK’s Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to create a …
Statement from Church Leaders ahead of 31st January 2020
On Friday 24th January, Church Leaders released a joint statement regarding the UK’s imminent exit from the European Union. This was accompanied by a letter from Church Leaders addressed to partner Churches and Church organisations in Europe. Statement from British Church leaders and …
Meet Your Newly Elected MP
⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except …
2020 Vision
Many of us will have just returned back to work after the Christmas break, hopefully well-rested and feeling ready for the new calendar year. Many of us will have used holiday time to reflect, and many of us will have spent time thinking ahead and anticipating what this next year might …
Getting to the heart of the general election
Any election is about choices. But the widely different visions for the future course of the UK on offer at this general election mean its result will have decisive repercussions for years to come. We consider some of the major issues at stake and explore how Christians might approach them, in the …
Churches hosting hustings: a good opportunity?
In a guest blog, Rev Bryan Kerr explores his experience of leading hustings events during elections. It was during an interview, as Tony Blair was answering a question on his faith, that his former director of strategy and communications Alastair Campbell, interrupted and quipped, “We don’t …