Protect Christians from conversion therapy accusations
The Government wants to ban what it calls 'conversion therapy', putting it on a collision course with the freedom to give and access appropriate support for unwanted same-sex feelings and gender confusion. The official consultation ended on 4 February, but the battle does not end. Civil servants will summarise the responses to the consultation and start drafting legislation. Unless the Government drops its plans, MPs and then the Lords will examine the proposed laws - some opposing them, but others might make the ban even more overbearing. At every stage, we need strong, principled Christian leadership working with parliamentarians and in the media to stop this ban - or to make sure it strictly applies only to genuinely harmful practices (these are already illegal and/or not happening in the UK anyway). 30 MPs are concerned about the proposals, and even the Equality and Human Rights Commission has criticised the plans.
Energy bills to rise
Electricity and gas bills for a typical household will go up by 54% in April because the energy price cap - the maximum amount suppliers in Great Britain can charge consumers - has been raised. Meanwhile oil giant Shell announced a huge increase in profits, four times the level recorded last year. The new price limit means 18 million households will pay £1,971 a year for gas and electricity. Another 4.5 million people on prepayment metres will see a bigger increase. The Chancellor plans to soften the blow via council tax rebates and help with bills. This would provide the majority of families with a total of £350 to help them adjust to higher prices. However many believe that with profits booming in recent months because of the spike in energy prices, the North Sea oil and gas producers who have recently made a fortune should be asked to contribute to ease the cost of living catastrophe.
'Levelling up' plan announced
The government's 332-page Levelling Up White Paper,published on 2 February, aims to ‘change the economic model of the UK’. The areas for improvement are as follows: pay, employment and productivity to rise; more investment in research and development; public transport connectivity everywhere to be closer to the standards of London; nationwide 4G broadband coverage, with the majority having 5G coverage;more primary school children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths; more people completing high-quality skills training; the gap in life expectancy between highest and lowest narrowed; well-being improved everywhere; people engaging more in local culture and community; secure paths to ownership for renters; first-time buyers increasing; homicide, serious violence, and neighbourhood crime to fall in the worst-affected areas. Boris Johnson said levelling up would involve investing in towns, cities, rural and coastal areas. He has created a brand-new government department dedicated to these proposals. However, the Institute of Economic Affairs described them as dubious in quality.
Increasing 5G coverage won't 'level up' the struggling
Michael Gove admitted that people in some areas have been ‘overlooked and undervalued’ by Westminster for years. Truro Foodbank is in one of the poorest UK areas; its manager said levelling up won't be effective unless low wages are addressed. Many in Cornwall are not on a national pay structure, so have 23% less pay. They have higher water bills because of the coastal areas and now there are rising utility bills. He said, ‘Financial pressure comes from how much your income is, and what you've got to pay out. 66% of the people receiving foodbank parcels are on low incomes. Levelling up will see 5G mobile data coverage for the “large majority” of households. But this will mean little to struggling households. There’s an expectation that everyone has a smartphone. Those who haven’t are disadvantaged because they can't even make an application for help in the first place.’
