A parliamentary debate, held last week, heard cross-party support for lifting the ban on asylum seekers taking paid employment.

Caroline Noakes MP, the Immigration Minister, said the government was ‘listening very carefully’ to the arguments on the right to work, that they have ‘much merit’, and that she was ‘looking forward’ to further discussion.

A mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in which 11 people died has been condemned by the United Reformed Church (URC), the Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN), and the Faith Communities Forum.

The victims – eight men and three women aged between 57 and 94 – were targeted at the Tree of Life synagogue on Saturday (27 October) morning.

The alleged gunman, Robert Bowers, 46, is in custody to face charges against what is said to be the worst anti-Semitic attack in recent US history.

The United Reformed Church (URC) joined 14 food poverty charities and church leaders in urging the government to create a £2 billion budget investment to help fix Universal Credit.

On 16 October a letter was hand delivered to Theresa May, the Prime Minister, and Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging them to take action and fix the policy.