Last week, an independent review was released about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s support of persecuted Christians globally. 

The Bishop of Truro, Rt Rev Philip Mountstephen, recommended that the government be prepared to use sanctions, that diplomats work with local religious minorities and that civil servants get religious literacy training, among other recommendations. 

When asked by Archbishop Angaelos, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in London, how the recommendations of the report would be enacted given the curent political climate, Lord Ahmad said he could assure him that there would be cross-departmental work on stopping Christophobia, a term Mr Hunt announced the FCO would use last week, and that he has confidence both Jermy Hutn and Boris Johnson would apply the Bishop’s advice. 

Speaking of the Prime Ministerial candidates, Lord Ahmad said: “I can personally reflect on the two gentlemen who are campaigning to run my party and indeed become the Prime Minister. We haven’t got that much of a wait now, there’s only a week or so. It’s not just words -judging by their actions – the first, the former Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, actually created and recommended the role of the envoy [pof freedom of religion and belief] within the context of the terms of reference.

“The second, the current Foreign Secretary, initiated the review. It’s…

Sadiq Khan on Monday quoted analysis of data from the Met Police, British Transport Police, the NHS and the Ambulance Service, before blaming rising knife crime on social exclusion, poverty and Conservative spending cuts.

Eustace Constance, Operation Director of Christian charity Ascension Trust told Premier he thought Mr Khan was just playing politics.

“I personally think it’s election time and the mayor is doing what all politicians do,” Mr Constance claimed.

“The information and the connection that the mayor has made are not new.”

He added: “It isn’t a revelation that ten to 16-year-olds are more susceptible to criminal activities after school hours. We were saying that over 16 years ago, that is why we started school pastors.

“Or that with 18 to 24-year-olds, violence happens over the weekend. We said that 16 years ago. That’s why we started Street Pastors.

“We’re not unique in that – the stats that he’s quoting now have been available to the mayor, they’ve been available to the Metropolitan Police and others for many years.”

There has been a spate of stabbings in the city this year.

The London mayor called for an end to the “nine year experiment to shrink the state” in a speech at a youth club close to where a person was stabbed less than 24-hours ago.

There have been at least 33 fatal stabbings in London this year,…

Dr David Mackereth claims he was sacked after saying he would not “call any 6ft tall bearded man madam” during an “abstract discussion” with his manager.

The 56-year-old, from Dudley, West Midlands, alleges the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) discriminated against his religious beliefs, costing him his job as a disability claim assessor.

As well as claiming religious discrimination, Dr Mackereth maintains that no effort was made to accommodate his beliefs, such as referring transgender clients at Birmingham’s Five Ways assessment centre to another doctor.

On the third day of the Birmingham tribunal, centre manager James Owen said he had a meeting with Dr Mackereth on June 13 last year and then “respected his wishes not to work”.

In a written statement describing the meeting, Mr Owen said: “I then asked the claimant if he would respect the customer’s wish to be referred to by their chosen sexuality and name and would he convey that in his written report.

“The claimant categorically stated that he would not do that due to his beliefs and he could not put that in a report as his conscience would not allow that.

“The claimant also stated that he understood that his behaviour could be offensive.”

Mr Owen added: “I read the answers back to the claimant and asked him to confirm if I had captured the information correctly. The claimant agreed.

“The claimant clearly…