A review will take place into the current legal position of cannabis. The Home Secretary Sajid Javid says a ban on recreational use will remain but the medicinal use will be looked at. 

The announcement comes just days after a decision to grant 12-year-old Billy Caldwell – who has epilepsy – permission to be treated with cannabis oil.

The Christian Institute take the view that further legalisation could lead to increased uses outside of medicine. 

Colin Hart, Director of the Christian Institute, said: “There are all sorts of powerful drugs that are used in medicine – that’s fine as long as there’s proper testing and drug trials. Some derivatives of cannabis have been used for years in the treatment of sickness that comes from people having chemotherapy so that’s not new.”

“There is a system in place, the system doesn’t always work, as we’ve seen in this recent example “

Hart explained why he wouldn’t want to see any further law change: “We need to be careful here – a medical use argument can easily lead to legalisation and that exactly what’s happened in Colorado in the United States where really cannabis is being sold just like tobacco or a can of coke really.”

He claimed: “Use has shot through the roof, cannabis is far more addictive than tobacco, far more carcinogenic.”

Hart argued that around 50 people every year are killed by…

In two years, bishops from across the world will gather in London for the once a decade meeting.

It comes at a time when conservatives and liberals in the worldwide Communion remain divided over the issue of sexuality.

Some groups such as the Scottish Episcopal Church and the US Episcopal Church have moved to a position of affirmation of same sex marriages and of gay clergy.

Others fall into the GAFCON movement, a group of conservative Anglicans, who feel those church groups are moving away from what the Bible teaches.

The new blow for Justin Welby came on Tuesday via the Archbishop of Uganda who’s been speaking at the GAFCON conference in Jerusalem.

Addressing the issue of the Lambeth Conference, Most Rev Stanley Ntangali suggested he and the other bishops in his country would boycott the event because the Anglican Communion hasn’t shown strong leadership on the issue of sexuality.

He said: “As a House of Bishops, because things have not changed we will not attend Lambeth 2020.

“Unless godly order is restored within the Anglican Communion, we shall not attend other meetings invited by Canterbury.”

He also said his stance wouldn’t change unless the Anglican Communion recognised the Church groups set up in Brazil and the USA to cater for the needs of conservative Anglicans who feel they can no longer serve in the current Anglican structures.

The Archbishop’s comments…

He’s been speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Parliament which was attended by Prime Minister Theresa May, over 140 MPs and many church leaders.

Addressing the theme, ‘What can Christianity offer our society in the 21st century?’ Keller used the opportunity to issue a rallying call to British Christians.

He said: “Jesus’ metaphor was that Christians could be salt as long as they’re not the same as the meat – they’re different.

“Christians won’t benefit society if they’re just like everyone else in society.

“We’re not going to benefit society filled with self-actualisers unless we really are different and we do believe Jesus died for us and we live by self-sacrifice.

He also had a message for political leaders.

“Here’s what British society can do to get the most benefit out of Christians,” he said. “Don’t demand that they become like everyone else. Modern society says we believe and respect difference but here’s what you should do: tell Christians to be true to their ideals but then critique them on those ideals not on someone else’s.”

Those gathered at the event in Westminster took time to pray for politicians and for the UK and were also led in worship by Keith and Kristyn Getty.

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John Bercow has been speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Parliament.

He opened proceedings by celebrating the event’s place in the parliamentary calendar.

“Whatever the disputes, whatever the discord, whatever the turbulence inflicting parliament, our country and the wider world,” he said. “I hope you will be with me when I say there is always something at least faintly reassuring and perhaps more than that about a fixed compass and the assurance of the staging of this great event.”

He went on to praise both politicians and church leaders for their role in protecting our rules of freedom of religion.

“We are proud but never complacent that we in this country enjoy freedom of religion, freedom of faith, freedom of conscience.

“It is our birth right but doesn’t mean it hasn’t had to be fought for.

“We never take it for granted.”

Prime Minister Theresa May attended the event in Parliament’s Westminster Hall along with over 140 MPs and many church leaders.

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The channel, which is based in the UK but broadcasts in Spain, was given the penalty by the Spanish National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC).

The conversation in question was about transgender children following a Christian family removing their child from school because one of his classmates identified as transgender.

The pastor on the show said: “We are going to create a political party or join a party to change this madness. We are going to have to do this, because if we don’t, we will have Sodom and Gomorrah at our doorsteps, where they are going to tell you, ‘we want to get hold of those men in there and we want to sleep with them and there’s nothing you can do about it. I have girls for you… No, we want those guys’.

A statement by the CNMC explaining why the penalty was handed down said the comments on the Rmornings discussion show “could be considered as threatening to the dignity of the homosexual and transgender group, although there was no manifest incitation to hate against these groups by the channel that owns the programme”.

However, Gordon Pettie, director of Revelation TV has denied the conversation on the show was homophobic.

“And because it has become aggressive, it has become heavy, and if we don’t confront this militancy it is going to get worse, it is going to get really bad.

He went on to say: “But we need to understand that the…