Leaders from across the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches have responded to the Chancellor’s announcements made in the Budget on 6 March. They have highlighted the lack of acknowledgement of people struggling against poverty in our communities, and the lack of difference announcements …
Churches to champion voter registration
As a General Election approaches, a new initiative has been launched that will equip local churches to increase democratic participation through registering people to vote, providing information about the need to have appropriate photo ID, and encouraging people to vote on polling day. As Voter …
Ukraine – Two tragic years
We are two years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We might refer to this as President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, firstly because leadership matters in every national context and secondly because Putin has amassed power around him providing him with unchallengeable …
The Government’s re-writing of history
The sedate environment of the House of Lords descended into farce yesterday when Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, responded to questions on the Economic Activities of Public Bodies Bill (Anti-Boycott Bill). An extraordinary exchange demonstrated only too clearly why …
The View from a Cupboard in Parliament
![A portion of a wooden door. A sepia portrait photo of a woman is screwed to the door in a brass-coloured circular frame. A ribbon featuring the Suffrage colours (pink, white, green) is diagonally across the lower part of the photo. Below the photo is a brass plaque with an inscription: In loving memory of Emily Wilding Davison. In this broom cupboard Emily Wilding Davison hid herself, illegally, during the night of the 1911 census. She was a brave suffragette campaigning for votes for women at a time when Parliament denied them that right. In this way, she was able to record her address on the night of that [the rest of the plaque is not visible but the text continues:] census as being the House of Commons: thus making her claim to the same political rights as men. Emily Wilding Davison died in June 1913 from injuries sustained when she threw herself under the King's horse at the Derby to draw public attention to the injustice suffered by women. By such means was democracy won for the people of Britain. Notice place here by Tony Benn MP. “I must tell you, Mr Speaker that I am going to put a plaque in the House, I shall have it made myself and screwed on the door of the broom cupboard in the Crypt.](https://www.pbeta7.co.uk/app/uploads/2024/02/35906576123_dbc00b3025.jpg)
The Vote and The Future This year, alongside working for JPIT I get to work for an MP, and spend half of my week in the Houses of Parliament. As I walk around Parliament to meetings, committee hearings or debates, I am frequently struck by how the history of our democracy is reflected in …
JPIT churches among 265 signatories of joint statement on Rwanda Bill
Over 260 charities and organisations have signed a joint statement on the Rwanda Bill as it begins its Second Reading in the House of Lords, encouraging peers to reject the Bill and protect people’s rights. Among the diverse list of signatories are the JPIT denominations: the Baptist Union, The …
Homelessness among refugees and how you can help
Homelessness is on the rise this winter, especially among people recently granted asylum in the UK. So last week, JPIT partnered with Housing Justice and Compassionate Communities to hold a webinar exploring how churches can respond. Why is homelessness an increasing issue for …
Church leaders issue joint call for action on poverty in 2024
Senior leaders from churches and charities have called on politicians to take urgent action on rising poverty in the UK and around the world. In a joint statement released today (Friday, January 5), senior Christian leaders - including the General Secretary of Churches Together in England, …
Good news for the New Year: A new agreement to curb tax dodging
When you heard Big Ben strike midnight on 31st December, was your first thought that “this marks the moment when international tax laws change to make it harder for multinationals to avoid tax”? If, inexplicably, you had other priorities at New Year, it is worth taking time now to celebrate. The …
Introducing Nathan McGuire
In the autumn of 2016, I embarked on an early morning journey to Calais with my tutor, Simon Jones, to visit 'the jungle', a place I'd heard much about at Spurgeon’s College. Stepping out of the car, the reality hit hard. It was wet, muddy, and bitterly cold. The air carried a mix of familiar food …