Nicola Laver

Former vicar Jonathan Fletcher has been charged with eight counts of indecent assault and one of grievous bodily harm. The offences were allegedly committed between 1973 and 1999. Fletcher, 81, is due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on 7 August. The Metropolitan Police has urged any victims of abuse to come forward and speak with specialist officers.

A new Labour government is settling in, hundreds of new MPs are finding their way around the House of Commons, Islam is gaining momentum in politics, and Christians across the UK are watching closely to see how their rights and interests may be affected. Christian Concern’s Head of Public Policy, Tim Dieppe points out that voter turnout (around 60%) was the lowest since 1945, and only 20% of the electorate voted for Labour.

Six babies with cleft lips or cleft palates and 19 with Down’s syndrome were aborted late-term in 2022 across England and Wales, according to official figures. The latest statistics also reveal a general uptick in the numbers of abortions directly related to a baby’s disability. The latest abortion figures for Scotland in 2023 are even worse, also revealing a sharp rise in the numbers of young girls having abortions. Scotland reports its figures a year ahead of England and Wales.