Pakistani court sends minor Christian girl with her abductor On May 31 a Pakistani court sent 13-year-old Christian girl, Nayab Gill with her abductor, Saddam Hussain, who already has three wives. Nayab, a student of 9th grade was working at a beauty salon during the closure of her school in …
Read More »We must stand up for Hong Kong
This speech was originally made by the author in the House of Lords on 24 October 2019 This House takes note of the recent political unrest in Hong Kong, and of the calls to offer residents of Hong Kong citizenship in another country.Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB) My Lords, the …
Read More »Against the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill
This speech was originally made by the author in the House of Lords on 10 July 2019 My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Cormack, has reminded us of his own deep commitment to devolution, and it is one that I share. In his remarks responding to the Minister earlier, the …
Read More »On Foreign Affairs
The below speech was made by the author in the House of Lords on 21 May 2019 My Lords, I too greatly welcome this timely and well-judged report from the International Relations Select Committee, and particularly the recommendations to strengthen engagement with the Commonwealth, to invest more in our global …
Read More »Attacks on Journalists
The below speech was made by the author in the House of Lords on 14 May 2019 Central to any debate looking at press freedom and the harassment of journalists is Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; …
Read More »Holding to account those who use rape as a weapon on war
The below speech was made by the author in the House of Lords on 1 April 2019 in the House of Lords My Lords, the noble Lady, Baroness Hodgson, has consistently and tenaciously championed the cause of those who have been subjected to unspeakable violence. In her moving and powerful …
Read More »War in the Yemen and the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia
The below speech was made by the author in the House of Lords on 1 April 2019 in the House of Lords My Lords, in the aftermath of António Guterres’s assertion that Yemen is, “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”, the International Affairs Committee has provided the House with a succinct, …
Read More »On Religious Freedom
The Danube Institute Conference on Religious Freedom, April 9th 2019, The Reform Club, London – as delivered. In 1896, at the age of 87, William Ewart Gladstone made his last public speech. At Liverpool’s Hengler’s Circus, before an audience of 6000, he described what he called the “monstrous crime” of the massacre …
Read More »Aid and Corruption
The below speech was made by the author in the House of Lords on 1 April 2019 in the House of Lords My Lords, the World Bank identifies corruption as a major obstacle to ending extreme poverty by 2030 and its detrimental effect on the poorest 40% of people in …
Read More »The UK must help persecuted religious minorities
My Lords, there is no one better to have opened tonight’s debate than the noble Lord, Lord Dubs. The 80th anniversary of Kindertransport prompts the question: what would Sir Nicholas Winton, Trevor Chadwick, Florence Nankivell, Doreen Warriner, Beatrice Wellington, and others involved in organising escape routes for children threatened by …
Read More »Why We Should Give Asylum To Asia Bibi
After a visit, in 2015, to detention centres in Thailand, where I saw some of the thousands of escaping Pakistani Christians and Ahmadis, caged like animals, and subsequently filmed by Chris Rogers for a BBC documentary, I chaired an Inquiry under the auspices of the All Party Group on Freedom …
Read More »Why Northern Ireland Should Not be Forced to Accept British abortion laws.
The below speech was made by the author in the House of Lords on 30 October 2018 in the House of Lords My Lords, in March 1979, four days after Airey Neave was brutally murdered in the precincts of Parliament, I made my maiden speech in the House of Commons. …
Read More »We must confront Anti-Semitism
This speech was originally given by the author in the House of Lords. My Lords, in a recent interview, my noble friend Lord Sacks said that, “The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews”. Anti-Semitism is a virus that singles out Jews but which then spreads its hateful …
Read More »The Issue of Religious Persecution
At a conference on religious freedom, in Washington DC, organised at Capitol Hill by Coptic Solidarity, the author called for an international world wide day to highlight the right to freedom of religion or belief. With fellow speakers, Canadian MP Garnett Genuis and New Jersey Congressman, Chris Smith The first …
Read More »Why The Government Is Wrong To Have Blocked The Lexden Bill To Put Right An Injustice That Discriminates Against Siblings Caring For One Another.
My Lords, it is a great pleasure to support the noble Lord, Lord Lexden, and his Bill to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 as it relates to sibling couples. Along with other Members of your Lordships’ House, the noble Lord has vigorously pursued this issue and I hope that …
Read More »200 million women are subjected to FGM
Lord Alton made this speech in the House of Lords on 20 July 2018 regarding the Female Genital Mutilation Private Members Bill My Lords, it is a privilege to support my noble friend Lord Berkeley of Knighton, whose Private Member’s Bill provides another step in seeking to prevent the barbaric practice …
Read More »The Christian Duty to Defend Democracy
Despite the attempts of every man-made ideology to persecute and annihilate it, Christianity has survived. From Nero and Diocletian to Hitler, Stalin and Mao; from Roman dictatorship to Nazi and Communist atheism; it has survived. Paradoxically, as Tertullian observed, persecution has proved to be the seed of the Church. Christianity, …
Read More »Christian Heritage Centre – Theodore House – April 2018
Building work on Theodore House began on May Day 2017. This is the ruined Victorian mill in the heart of Lancashire’s Ribble Valley now being transformed into a residential centre for families, individuals, pilgrims, scholars, parishes, schools, groups, retreatants, and visitors to England’s Sacred County. A building that once fed …
Read More »A modern day Calvary
The Below is a speech delivered by the author in the House of Lords on 29 March 2018 My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Llandudno, who has been a friend for more than 40 years, for securing this timely and important debate …
Read More »Lancashire – The Sacred County
Famous for its rich history and diversity, the County Palatine of Lancashire is home to almost one and a half million people – people from all faiths and none. For many, it is the Sacred County – which, since its inception, in 1182, has been at the heart of religious …
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