UK & Ireland in Brief

As the cost of living crisis deepens, the Evangelical Alliance (EA) is urging UK churches to use their power to take action, such as helping with the means that churches already have; and supporting other Christians in what they are doing in the community.

Writing on the EAUK website, advocacy coordinator Jo Evans said: ‘As Christians who trust in a good God who commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves, we should be motivated above all other sectors of society to take action and do something about the problem at hand.’

The Railway Mission has helped London Waterloo mark its centenary with a service opened by station manager Cem Davis and led by Railway Chaplain Christopher Henley on the steps of Victory Arch (the main entrance).

The ceremony was attended by colleagues from Network Rail, South Western Railway, the Railway Heritage Trust and the British Transport Police. The Railway Mission is a Christian charity offering pastoral care to the railway community as well as members of the public affected by rail operations.

MPs have voted to make permanent the ‘temporary’ Covid rule allowing DIY abortions at home in England, prompting demands from more than 600 medics to end it immediately.

In an open letter, they say home abortions put women at serious risk and urged government to revoke the rules in England, Wales and Scotland.

Government plans to restrict online content through the Online Safety Bill risks the most draconian censorship of ideas on the internet in the Western world, the Christian Institute (CI) warned.

If passed, social media companies and search engines will have to restrict content that is ‘legal but harmful’ to adults – a concept which lacks clarity and is open to abuse. The CI’s Simon Calvert said: ‘The government’s approach is incredibly dangerous.’ He said the Bill ‘incentivises activists to complain to social media companies about opinions they don’t like’.