Displaying items by tag: British Isles

Five of England’s leading letting agents are discriminating against tenants on housing benefit, a report by Shelter and the National Housing Federation has found. Stephen Tyler, who uses a wheelchair, said he was forced to sleep in his car because of such discrimination. In an undercover investigation carried out by Mystery Shoppers Ltd. 149 regional letting agent branches were called by researchers posing as prospective tenants. One in ten had a branch policy not to let to anyone on housing benefit, regardless of whether they could afford the rent. The worst offender out of the six big brands investigated was Haart, with an outright ban on housing benefit tenants in a third of the branches called (8 out of 25). The research also exposes the uphill struggle faced by housing benefit tenants. Almost half of the letting agents said they had no suitable homes or landlords willing to let to someone on housing benefit.

Chaplains at Pentonville, one of London's biggest prisons, were forced to run for their lives after a fight erupted at a worship service. A new report by the Independent Monitoring Board stated, ‘There has been an increase in gang-related incidents during gatherings for prayer. On one occasion, a fight erupted and ministers had to run for cover. On another occasion, a prisoner was knifed as he entered.’ Thirty staff were assaulted in just two months at the prison. The report warned that drug trafficking, violence against staff, declining job training and ‘inhumane conditions’ are major problems. Although Pentonville had many energetic and committed staff there were too few officers for most of the year. Wings were shut down for three or four half-days a week, activities and association time were restricted, and some prisoners went weeks without exercise in the fresh air. See

PC Claire Boddie will face a misconduct hearing for shooting Judah Adunbi, a race relations adviser, in the face with a stun gun. Boddie did not warn Adunbi before she fired and his hands were by his sides at the time. In footage shown in court, Boddie is heard telling Adunbi: ‘You look familiar.’ Adunbi refused to say who he is, telling the officers: ‘I’m an African black individual living in my own city’. He fell to the ground after he was shot and told them: ‘I’m nearly 70 - here’s my **** ID.’The notice claims Boddie’s actions constitute a breach of the standards of professional behaviour for the use of force. Adunbi, also known as Ras Judah, has sat on Bristol’s independent advisory group, which forges links between the police and the community, and has worked with the Crown Prosecution Service’s local community involvement panel. Footage filmed by a passerby was widely shared on social media, making headlines around the world.

While the country convulses itself about Islamic face veils, a truly disturbing event affecting our freedom and our future goes almost unobserved. Christian nurse Sarah Kuteh was sacked for daring to suggest that a patient she was treating might like to go to church, and ‘inappropriately gave a Bible to a patient’. Her abilities as a nurse were not questioned, but she was only allowed to work again after reflecting on NHS professional boundaries, agreeing not to express her personal beliefs and letting her employers know in writing the steps she has taken to address ‘deficiencies highlighted in her practice and how she would act differently in the future’. In other words, she had to ‘confess’ her thought-crime and promise not to repeat it. Unemployment is being used to threaten people into keeping their deepest, beloved beliefs a personal secret while they are on NHS premises.

After Salih Khater attempted a terror attack outside the Houses of Parliament, we can pray: ‘In the Name of Jesus, we enforce God’s original plans for peace, mercy and hope over and against every plan and purpose of Satan to bring death or destruction, and we declare this nation will be a place of safety. We declare You are the one in whom we put our trust. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we remember the Name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). We thank You for Your love and Your covenant with us, and we come into agreement with Your word that “love always protects”. We thank You for those You have called to watch over our nation at this time, both in the spiritual realm and in the physical realm, and we release Your strength and Your wisdom to them in the Name of Jesus.’

Politicians and the Bank of England now say that the chances of a ‘no deal’ scenario are high, and may leave the UK with no trading deals in place. Pray that a spirit of fear will not entrench our nation. WTO's director general believes ‘this is not going to be a situation where all trade stops and there is collapse in terms of the economy as a whole. The tendency is that prices will go up because you have to absorb the cost of that disruption’. The WTO facilitates 164 countries, without free trade agreements with each other, to trade using the same tax on imports and the same limits on the number of goods. After Brexit, the UK could lower/waive tariffs to stimulate free trade. Cheaper products could enter UK, but some UK producers could fold. We can pray for business to thrive. The UK already trades under WTO rules with China, US, Brazil and Australia, plus any country without a trade agreement with the EU.

Christian charity Operation Noah has launched an animated film designed to help Christians around the world recognise the human cost of climate change - particularly for women and children. According to the charity, while most adults in the UK think that climate change is real and caused primarily by human activity, many Christians don't yet see it as a faith issue. Recent polling indicates that environmental issues are seen as less important by conservative Christians than in other parts of the church. Inspired by real-life stories, the film tells the story of a seven-year-old girl living on a South Pacific island who is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. UN figures indicate that women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die or be injured during extreme weather events.

The Refugee Council works with refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK, offering practical support and advice throughout their journey. For over sixty years it has helped people fleeing war, rape, or torture. Refugees have unimaginable stories to tell. Many have lost everything, and their lives will never return to normal. The council supports them and empowers them to rebuild their lives. Pray for all those helping refugees as they make the challenging first steps towards resettlement. Pray that they can obtain the necessary immigration documentation and move towards accessing a source of income or interim financial support. Pray for God to anoint the counsellors who assess refugees with physical and mental health problems. Pray for more stable and secure accommodation to be available across our nations for those who need it.

Two children and eight adults received ‘pellet-type wounds’ at a Moss Side street party at its Caribbean carnival. Moss Side has done much work in recent years to remove its reputation of drugs, gangs and violence. Former police officer Martin Harding, who now works with local schools, said that the number of shootings has significantly fallen in recent years as the area re-invented its image. The carnival was a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Windrush arrival. The shootings shocked the local community. The rector of St James’s Church said that they were praying that this kind of violence doesn't develop. In a message to the families of those hurt, he added, ‘We love you. We'll be praying for you. We hope your loved ones will be recovering fast. If anybody needs to talk about this, then our door is always open.’ See also

Churches around the country have begun 100 days of prayer for peace to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. A similar national day of prayer was held on 4 August 1918; 100 days after this, Armistice Day occurred. Communities across the country are being encouraged to organise peace prayer events, community peace talks, peace festivals, peace arts and poetry competitions, peace projects and many more community building activities. In London, people are praying for peace, especially in the light of rising knife crime. Blackburn Cathedral invites people to ‘come in and light a candle or use our prayer resources over the next 99 days’.