Christian Conservative MP Danny Kruger defects to Reform
Conservative MP and evangelical Christian, Danny Kruger, has become the first sitting Conservative MP to defect to Reform UK. He was the shadow work and pensions minister and said it was painful to leave his party after 20 years, but said “the Conservatives are over” and he hoped Reform would restore the system of government. He is a member of Christians in Parliament and in July, he spoke to an almost empty Commons chamber to warn of the ‘chronically precarious’ state of the country, saying Britain has moved away from its Christian roots and is at risk “economically, culturally, socially and morally”. He said the country must own its Christian heritage: “to repudiate Christianity is not only to sever ourselves from our past, but to cut off the source of all the things we value now and that we need in the future, such as freedom, tolerance, individual dignity and human rights”. View thedebate here. Hansard transcription is here
Historic moment as King attends Catholic mass at Westminster Cathedral
When the Duchess of Kent’s funeral takes place today at Westminster Cathedral, with the King in attendance, it will be an historic moment – the first time that the monarch will have attended a Roman Catholic Mass in Britain since the Reformation. The late Duchess, who died at 92, converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994, and was married to the Duke of Kent, a cousin of Elizabeth II. She was the first member of the Royal Family to join the Catholic Church since 1685. The requiem mass will be private, celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, assisted by Jim Curry, an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Westminster. Also at the altar will be the Anglican Dean of Windsor, Dr Christopher Cocksworth who will accompany the body to the royal burial ground in Frogmore, where the Duchess will be laid to rest. Catherine Pepinster reports on the significance of this moment here
Action urged against Elon Musk over ‘incitement to violence’
The CEO of the Islamophobia Response Unit, Majid Iqbal, is calling on the authorities to investigate Elon Musks’s comments at the weekend’s Unite the Kingdom march, where he said: “You’re in a fundamental situation where whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die”. Mr Iqbal said: “These words constitute a clear incitement to violence. They are deeply irresponsible and dangerous, particularly at a time when far-right extremism is on the rise in the UK. Muslim communities across the country are already feeling increasingly unsafe and under attack, and rhetoric like this only serves to heighten fear, tension, and the risk of real-world harm.” He says the authorities should send a strong message that “incitement to violence will not be tolerated in the UK”. Full statement here
Bishops warn against protests causing intolerance and fear
The Church Times summarises comments from CofE bishops concerned at the Unite the Kingdom march at the weekend. Religion featured prominently with crosses held aloft, clerics leading the Lord’s Prayer, a band leading worship songs and chants of “Christ is King”. The report says the Bishop of Edmonton Dr Anderson Jeremiah, and the diocesan head of racial justice priority, Dr Lisa Adjei, said that they were “deeply concerned”. Southwark Diocese issued a statement saying they rejected intolerance and were concerned the march would cause fear among minority groups. The Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, said protests should not become platforms for intolerance or aggression and she called on “civic leaders, faith communities, and individuals to be courageous advocates for truth, justice, and peace”. The Bishop of Barking, Lynne Cullens, wrote on Twitter/X: “An intentional national dialogue to establish some form of refreshed, contemporary and broad-based understanding of British values, is long overdue.” Church Times report here
Pope speaks out against exorbitant executive pay
Pope Leo XIV has criticised corporate pay packages that offer exorbitant reward, citing Tesla’s recent $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk. In a book by the senior correspondent for the Catholic publication “Crux”, Elise Ann Allen, he criticised the United Nations for losing “its ability to bring people together on multilateral issues.” He also spoke of the overwhelming challenge of his global role, required to speak into issues across the world. And he said in an era of increased polarisation, it was important to build bridges through dialogue, striving “to walk forward together, listening to one another, trying to discover what God is saying to us today”. The book “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century” is out this week.
BBC launches public vote for the nation’s favourite school assembly song
BBC’s Songs of Praise is launching a public vote on the nation’s all-time favourite school assembly hymn. Members of the public are being asked to vote from a shortlist of 50 hymns and songs by this weekend, with the results announced in “The Big School Assembly Singalong” to be broadcast on 23 November. The event will include James B. Partridge, a music teacher who went viral after uploading school assembly songs to TikTok during lockdown and then playing a packed-out set at Glastonbury
