The need for food banks was also highlighted by the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, as he tackled ministers at Westminster.

His intervention came as the Government stepped up its attack on the UN poverty expert behind a critical report of the UK slamming the “inflammatory and overtly political tone”.

Works and Pensions Minister Baroness Buscombe told peers during a recent visit to the UN, people had moved to “distance themselves from it” and preferred instead to praise the Government’s “groundbreaking, exemplary and world-leading policies in the area of work and pensions”.

In his report, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston claimed the UK had violated its human rights obligations through sustained and widespread cuts to social support.

He also said that although the UK is the world’s fifth largest economy, one-fifth of its population (14 million people) live in poverty, and 1.5 million experienced destitution in 2017.

The Department for Work and Pensions has already branded the report a “barely believable documentation of Britain” and said it painted a “completely inaccurate picture” of its approach to tackling poverty.

But pressed on the findings in the Lords, Lady Buscombe appeared to go further, telling peers: “Nobody wants to see poverty rising and we treat the issues raised by the special rapporteur…

The woman, who is in her 20s and cannot be identified for legal reasons, has been diagnosed with a “moderately severe” learning disorder and a mood disorder. 

Specialists caring for her say a termination is in her best interests.

But the woman’s mother, a member of the Nigerian Igbo community, disagrees.

She says she could care for the baby and says abortion is against her Roman Catholic religious beliefs and her cultural beliefs.

Bosses at the NHS trust responsible for the woman’s care have asked Mrs Justice Lieven to decide what is in the woman’s best interests.

The judge began analysing evidence at a hearing in the Court of Protection, where issues relating to people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions are considered, at the Royal Courts of Justice complex in London on Thursday.

Mrs Justice Lieven is considering the case at a public hearing but she has ruled that the woman, who lives in the London area, cannot be identified in reports of the case.

She also says the NHS trust which has begun litigation cannot be named because publication of that name might create an information jigsaw which could lead to the woman’s identity being revealed.

Barrister Fiona Paterson, who is leading the trust’s legal team, told Mrs Justice Lieven that specialists thought a termination would be in the woman’s best interests.

She said the baby might be taken into council…

The Scottish Bible Society and the Gaelic Books Council have released a modernised Gaelic version of the New Testament and Gaelic audio versions of the four Gospels.

The Church of Scotland’s Gaelic group is working with a Gaelic development officer to progress the work of the Kirk’s Gaelic Language Plan over the next year.

The Gaelic group announced during this year’s General Assembly that they had secured funding from Bòrd na Gàidhlig, an internal Church of Scotland grant, and from Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS).

They were also able to publish a Gaelic version of the Thy Kingdom Come prayer diary.

Rev John Urquhart, a Church of Scotland minister who is part of the Kirk’s Gaelic Group, said: “It has been a decade since the Scottish Bible Society brought the translation team together to begin the New Testament project.

“Though we were drawn from different places and different churches, we all shared the same aim: that the Scriptures of the New Testament should be made available to Gaelic speakers in modern Gaelic, faithfully translated.

“Throughout our work, we kept our focus on fidelity to the Greek and the clarity of the Gaelic.

“The translators hope that putting the word of God into contemporary Gaelic will enable every person who reads it to hear God’s voice speaking to them, and that through this they will come to know the…

American book publishers have called Trump’s plan for the 25 per cent tariff a “Bible tax”.

“We believe the administration was unaware of the potential negative impact these proposed tariffs would have on Bibles and that it never intended to impose ‘a Bible tax’ on consumers and religious organisations,” Mark Schoenwald, chief executive officer of HarperCollins Christian Publishing told a panel of officials at the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Despite China being known for its intense persecution against Christians, Bibles are widely produced in the country due to the special paper, printing technology and skills available there.

Schoenwald explained at the hearing that the tax hike would lead to difficulties printing in a specific format and in turn cause an increase in prices. He said the Christian bookseller market, as well as other Christians resource organisations who cannot afford more expensive Bibles, will be hit hard.

Stan Jantz, head of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, said he hopes that Trump will make sure Bible numbers are not impacted if the tax hike goes through.

“I know there’s a great interest in the area of religious freedom and access to religious goods on the part of the administration,” Jantz said in an interview after his testimony.

“We do hope that there would be an openness and strong consideration for Bibles in…