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 …

This speech was originally made by the author in the House of Lords on 24 October 2019 This House takes note of the recent political unrest in Hong Kong, and of the calls to offer residents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 …

This speech was originally made by the author in the House of Lords on 10 July 2019 My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Cormack, has reminded us of his own deep commitment to devolution, and it is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 …

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 …

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; …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …