A court has convicted a man for praying silently within the vicinity of an abortion clinic in Britain. Prosecutors argue he broke a law banning all praying, protesting, and demonstrating near facilities that abort babies. Adam Smith-Connor has been sentenced to a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay court costs of £9,000 (~$11,700). He silently prayed outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England, in November 2022.
Smith-Connor, a military veteran and physiotherapist, stood silently with his hands clasped together, praying for his unborn son, a victim of abortion 22 years prior. “Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts—silent thoughts—can be illegal in the United Kingdom,” he said of his conviction. “That cannot be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind, and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?”
Previously, pro-life Christian activist Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was awarded compensation this year after police wrongfully detained her for silently praying near a Birmingham abortion clinic in late 2022. Christian groups have sounded alarms over laws that prohibit even silent prayer near abortion clinics. Groups have worked to overturn legislation and court rulings, arguing they violate freedom of religion.
British politicians appear adamant about enforcing and expanding bans on prayer near abortion clinics.
Bans on prayer within 150 meters (~492 feet) of clinics come into force by the end of October in England and Wales. The bans coincide with the Roman Catholic feast of All Souls’ Day, in which Catholics pray for the dead.
In Scotland, prayer is prohibited 200 meters (~656 feet) from abortion clinics. Christian and pro-life groups warn the law could also criminalize prayers in private homes within “no-prayer zones.”
A court has convicted a man for praying silently within the vicinity of an abortion clinic in Britain. Prosecutors argue he broke a law banning all praying, protesting, and demonstrating near facilities that abort babies. Adam Smith-Connor has been sentenced to a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay court costs of £9,000 (~$11,700). He silently prayed outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England, in November 2022.
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Reparations for slavery will not be a topic of discussion at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, according to a statement from the British government. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s stance against reparations may place him at odds with others attending the summit—including his Foreign Secretary, David Lammy.
Starmer’s official spokesman confirmed that while he will join discussions on common challenges and economic growth, reparations are not on the summit’s agenda. The 56-strong Commonwealth of Nations consists overwhelmingly of former British colonies, excepting only Mozambique, Rwanda, Gabon, and Togo.
The topic of reparations is relevant as candidates for the post of CHOGM Secretary-General have expressed support for them. Candidates from Gambia, Ghana, and Lesotho have advocated for financial compensation or reparative justice in recognition of historical slavery and colonization.
Despite fewer than 0.5 percent of Britons owning slaves at the time slavery was abolished—and Britain’s leading role in ending the Atlantic, North African, and Arab slave trades—various woke institutions have begun taking steps to pay out reparations independently. For instance, the Church of England is planning a £1 billion fund to address its historical links to slavery despite collapsing congregations and a portfolio of many historic churches in need of repairs or restoration. The leftist Guardian also apologized last year for its founders’ involvement in transatlantic slavery, initiating a restorative justice program valued at over £10 million.
The British government paid out £15.4 billion (~$21.4 billion) in foreign aid in 2023, far more than it allocates to, for instance, the country’s courts or prisons.
Image by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street.
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Reparations for slavery will not be a topic of discussion at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, according to a statement from the British government. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's stance against reparations may place him at odds with others attending the summit—including his Foreign Secretary, David Lammy.
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Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is defending the explosion in annual net immigration to a record high of 762,000 under his premiership, despite having promised to reduce it during the Brexit referendum and his election campaign. Speaking to Harry Cole, Johnson argued that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, the country was facing “a nightmare where we couldn’t stack the shelves and we couldn’t fill the petrol stations with petrol; everyone was freaking out.”
He claimed “every business group” and every government department was demanding more migrants, so he had to massively increase the annual influx far beyond pre-pandemic levels despite promising to reduce it in his 2019 election platform. He also heavily implied mass migration was needed to reduce inflation.
It is questionable whether mass migration reduces inflation. Even proponents of the idea claim it does so partly by driving down wages, which many workers would regard as a net negative. However, evidence is robust that mass migration increases prices significantly in other areas, such as the cost of housing and rent.
Inflation in the United States remains stubbornly high despite record immigration, which has driven the foreign-born population to its highest level since records began.
An official British government report has also conceded that low-paid migrants—such as shelf-stackers—are an immediate net drain on the state, not a boon. By retirement age, such migrants cost the country the equivalent of almost $200,000, rising to $650,000 each if they live to 80 and well over $1 million if they reach age 100.
These figures likely underestimate the lifetime costs of low-paid migrants to British taxpayers, as the government’s modeling assumes they have no dependents, such as children or elderly relatives. In fact, the fertility rate is higher among the foreign-born population than the native population, and the spouses of certain migrants, such as Pakistanis, are disproportionately jobless.
Boris continues to defend the post-Covid quadrupling of net migration to nearly 800k.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is defending the explosion in annual net immigration to a record high of 762,000 under his premiership, despite having promised to reduce it during the Brexit referendum and his election campaign. Speaking to Harry Cole, Johnson argued that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, the country was facing "a nightmare where we couldn't stack the shelves and we couldn't fill the petrol stations with petrol; everyone was freaking out."
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Dovid Efune, owner of The New York Sun, has entered exclusive negotiations to purchase the United Kingdom’s Daily and Sunday Telegraph for £550 million ($718 million). A former editor with the New York-based Algemeiner Journal—a Jewish news-focused publication—Efune submitted the highest bid for the newspapers last month, beating out three other bidders. A six-week due diligence period is anticipated to assess Efune’s suitability for the acquisition. The agreement would ultimately require approval from the Labour government’s Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy.
Meanwhile, current staff at the publications are worried that Efune’s staunch pro-Israel views will result in his editorial intervention in their coverage of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East following Hamas’s barbaric October 7 terrorist attacks against the Jewish state. Some Daily and Sunday Telegraph staff worry the betting process will solely focus on Efune’s financial fitness and not his religion or personal politics.
Financially, The New York Sun owner is backed by asset managers Oaktree and Hudson Bay Capital Management and the family office of U.S. hedge fund manager Michael Leffell.
Despite staff concerns, Efune has heaped praise on the British newspapers. “The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph symbolise the very best of world-class, independent journalism and a commitment to relentlessly seeking the public interest,” he said in a recent interview. “This unique institution has a storied history as a pillar of the British press, dedicated to providing readers uninhibited, clear-eyed coverage of the most consequential issues of the day.”
He added: “As a lifelong newsman—variably as reporter, columnist, editor, and now publisher—I believe strongly that these values, in general, are fundamental to the advancement of any journalistic enterprise. It’s with these principles that the Telegraph is best positioned for even greater success going forward.”
Dovid Efune, owner of The New York Sun, has entered exclusive negotiations to purchase the United Kingdom's Daily and Sunday Telegraph for £550 million ($718 million). A former editor with the New York-based Algemeiner Journal—a Jewish news-focused publication—Efune submitted the highest bid for the newspapers last month, beating out three other bidders. A six-week due diligence period is anticipated to assess Efune's suitability for the acquisition. The agreement would ultimately require approval from the Labour government's Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy.
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Militant transgender activists released insects to disrupt a conference of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals who are critical of transgender ideology, leading to the evacuation of the event venue. Security detained several individuals following an incident at the UK LGB Alliance conference in London on Friday, October 11.
The event, featuring transgender critical gay and lesbian speakers, was disrupted by a group of activists who released insects in the venue. Authorities responded quickly, and conference attendees were temporarily relocated to the lobby.
Breaking: Militant trans activists have been detained by the venue security after allegedly releasing insects all over to try to sabotage the @AllianceLGB conference in London. The conference features gay and lesbian speakers critical of trans ideology. Several suspected… pic.twitter.com/9SDLErI4iA
Four individuals linked to the disruption were taken into custody, though it is suspected that several others evaded capture. Though not all of the attackers are confirmed to be transgender, several activists seemed to present themselves as such.
The LGB Alliance, a charity focused on supporting gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals, without transgenderism stealing focus, organized the ‘Our Lives! Our Future!’ conference where the attack took place.
Attacks on those opposed to transgender ideology are no longer uncommon in the Western world. For instance, in France, pro-trans activists set off an explosive device in Lyon to disrupt a talk by feminist and trans-critical activist Marguerite Stern in September.
In the United States, radical transgenders like Audrey Hale in Tennesee have gone further. Hale murdered six people, most of them children, at a Christian school in 2023.
Another transgender attempted a mass shooting at a church in Houston earlier this year.
Militant transgender activists released insects to disrupt a conference of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals who are critical of transgender ideology, leading to the evacuation of the event venue. Security detained several individuals following an incident at the UK LGB Alliance conference in London on Friday, October 11.
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Christian and pro-life groups are raising alarms over new abortion laws in Scotland, which could criminalize prayer even in private homes. The legislation, which took effect last month, establishes 200-meter (~656-feet) “safe access zones” around all abortion clinics, banning activities that supposedly “harass, alarm, or distress” abortionists and their patients—including silent prayer vigils.
Even people living within these zones now face the possibility of prosecution for actions people can see or hear from outside their homes. This means activities such as praying aloud or displaying religious symbols could potentially be treated as crimes.
The Scottish Government led by the left-separatist Scottish National Party (SNP)—roughly equivalent to a U.S. state government—confirmed through letters sent to residents in Edinburgh’s safe zones: “In general, the offenses apply in public places within the safe access zones. However, activities in a private place (such as a house) within the area between the protected premises and the boundary of a zone could be an offense if they can be seen or heard within the zone and are done intentionally or recklessly.”
Many Christians, for whom prayer is a personal and sacred act, now fear their private expressions of faith could be under threat from the new law. Michael Robinson, executive director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, criticized the law as “sinister and Orwellian.” He stresses that the authorities could prosecute individuals for silently praying in their gardens or displaying Bible verses in their windows.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, called the law “regressive” and an example of “state overreach,” vowing to monitor its enforcement across the country.
Similar laws are set to be imposed in England following multiple failed prosecutions of Christians praying silently inside their heads near abortionists’ clinics.
Christian and pro-life groups are raising alarms over new abortion laws in Scotland, which could criminalize prayer even in private homes. The legislation, which took effect last month, establishes 200-meter (~656-feet) “safe access zones” around all abortion clinics, banning activities that supposedly "harass, alarm, or distress" abortionists and their patients—including silent prayer vigils.
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Grassroots members of Britain’s Conservative (Tory) Party, ousted from government after 14 years in office in a July snap election, will shortly choose between two candidates – Olukemi ‘Kemi’ Badenoch and Robert Jenrick – to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as party leader.
Members of Parliament (MPs) for the party have whittled down an initial slate of candidates to a final two, who will now battle it out in public before a vote of the party’s official membership.
ALL-TALK BADENOCH.
Badenoch was first elected to Parliament in 2017 and rapidly promoted to a government role by 2019. She became an overnight star on the Conservative right with a 2020 speech as Minister of State for Equalities, in which he claimed the government—then led by Boris Johnson—”stand[s] unequivocally against Critical Race Theory” and described Black Lives Matter as a “political movement.”
However, despite her insistence that “any school that teaches… Critical Race Theory as fact, or that promotes partisan political views such as defunding the police without offering a balanced treatment of opposing views, is breaking the law,” such ideology flourished in the British state during her time in government, and there is no evidence she ever took action against it.
In fact, she declined to comment when the socialized National Health Service (NHS) pushed an anti-“whiteness” ideology the year after her Critical Race Theory (CRT) speech. After she was promoted to Secretary of State for International Trade, she oversaw officials indulging in CRT-style themed training framed around the book ‘Why I No Longer Talk to White People About Race.’
Towards the end of the Conservatives’ 14 years in office, she produced an official report complaining about far-left diversity training in government and corporations. Despite her rhetoric, she concluded that elected officials should not even try to stop bureaucrats from disseminating such ideological training, insisting that “bans and acts” were undesirable.
Similarly, despite talking a good game against mass migration, her party oversaw record-breaking immigration in office, and she personally lobbied to remove annual limits on the inflow of foreign workers and students. Badenoch herself was born in London, but her parents are Nigerian, and she grew up in Nigeria.
GENERIC JENRICK.
Badenoch’s rival for the party leadership is Robert Jenrick, once dubbed “Robert Generic” for his bland, so-called centrist politics. He campaigned against Brexit and said he hoped to see a “liberal immigration policy” post-Brexit.
He finished his government career as an immigration minister under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, resigning over concerns that the never-implemented, now-scrapped Rwanda deportation plan for illegal aliens was unworkable.
However, since this resignation, he has reinvented himself as an anti-immigration hawk, lobbying for stricter controls with some vigor.
“[T]he economic model that we’ve become hooked on isn’t working,” Jenrick admitted shortly after leaving government. “If importing hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to the UK was a route to prosperity, the UK would be one of the richest countries in the world. Instead, for almost the last two years we’ve had a recession in GDP per capita… I care about the prosperity of our own citizens, not the overall size of the economy,” he added.
Since then, government officials have confirmed that low-paid migrants are an immediate and lifelong drain on the public finances.
Jenrick has also committed to leaving the European Court of Human Rights, a non-European Union body to which Britain remains subject, putting him well to the right of Badenoch. Many doubt the sincerity of Jenrick’s late-career rightward shift, with Reform Party leader Nigel Farage suggesting his conversion is “not very believable.”
Sunak’s successor should be confirmed by November 2.
Grassroots members of Britain's Conservative (Tory) Party, ousted from government after 14 years in office in a July snap election, will shortly choose between two candidates – Olukemi 'Kemi' Badenoch and Robert Jenrick – to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as party leader.
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Polling data on the July general election in Britain reveals that most voters who voted for the Labour Party did so to get the Conservatives out of power, while those who voted for Nigel Farage’sReform Party did so because they actually believed in the party’s policies.
YouGov recently released the summer voter data, offering insight into the factors influencing voter behavior in the UK’s 2024 general election. Before the election, YouGov polls noted voters’ apathy toward the parties they intended to vote for. The post-election data confirms the trend, highlighting that many voters’ decisions were driven more by opposition to other parties than enthusiasm for their chosen party.
For Labour supporters, the predominant reason to vote was opposition to the Conservative Party, with 34 percent identifying this as their chief motivation. Just six percent expressed alignment with Labour’s election manifesto or policies.
Similarly, the primary reason Liberal Democrat voters chose their party was to oust the Conservatives.
Unlike other parties, Reform supporters’ leading reason was to control immigration, a key policy of the Farage-led party cited by 34 percent. Dislike for other parties ranked second, at nine percent.
Reform leader Nigel Farage introduced his campaign by calling for “net zero migration,” meaning that the number of people leaving and entering the country should be balanced.
Other polls have also shown Reform performed better among young voters than the Conservatives during the election. Young European voters are flocking to parties with anti-mass migration policies in several European countries, including Germany, France, and Austria.
The YouGov poll could partially explain Labour leader and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s massive dip in popularity soon after entering office. Sixty-three percent of Britons now hold an unfavorable view of him.
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Polling data on the July general election in Britain reveals that most voters who voted for the Labour Party did so to get the Conservatives out of power, while those who voted for Nigel Farage'sReform Party did so because they actually believed in the party's policies.
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First Lady Melania Trump revealed in her new memoir that she has an ongoing correspondence with British monarch King Charles III. The two are said to share a passion for conservation. In her new bookMelania, Mrs Trump stated that she had first met King Charles III, then Charles, Prince of Wales, in New York in 2005 and subsequently met him again in 2019 during a state visit to the United Kingdom by her husband, President Donald J. Trump.
“Our paths had crossed many years ago in New York City. This time, we engaged in an interesting conversation about his deep-rooted commitment to environmental conservation,” the former First Lady writes in her book.
President Trump reportedly received a private letter from King Charles following an assassination attempt against him during a rally in Pennsylvania in July. Buckingham Palace has not disclosed the contents of the letter.
In an interview, a former royal aide asserted that Queen Elizabeth II, the former British monarch, regarded the Trumps as “gracious and wonderful” guests during the state visit in 2019.
“I spoke to the Queen subsequently after the state visit and other members of the royal household, and she told me she found them to be really gracious and wonderful guests to have in the palace,” the aide said.
Should Trump win the presidency next month, the current leftist Labour government may strain British-American relations. Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and a “tyrant” in the past. Other members of the Labour Party attempted to have Trump’s 2019 state visit canceled, accusing him of “xenophobia” and “misogyny.”
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First Lady Melania Trump revealed in her new memoir that she has an ongoing correspondence with British monarch King Charles III. The two are said to share a passion for conservation. In her new book Melania, Mrs Trump stated that she had first met King Charles III, then Charles, Prince of Wales, in New York in 2005 and subsequently met him again in 2019 during a state visit to the United Kingdom by her husband, President Donald J. Trump.
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Britain’s Labour Party government, led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is under scrutiny following reports of lavish gifts received by top officials. A recent YouGov survey indicates that 59 percent of voters perceive the government as engaging in “sleaze.” This perception arises months after Labour secured a parliamentary majority in July, although they won just over a third of the total vote.
The poll reveals that 53 percent of Britons believe Labour has failed to meet its own ethical standards. Only 18 percent think the party has behaved commendably since assuming power. However, previous Conservative governments are seen as even more “sleazy,” with a 77 percent negative perception.
Discontent with Labour is widespread across party lines. Among Conservative and Liberal Democrat supporters, 45 percent expected better conduct from the Labour government. Even within Labour’s voter base, 42 percent express disappointment. Only 34 percent say the government has met expectations.
LORD ALLI.
The issue has been fueled by news of personal gifts and hospitality that influential Labor donors extended to senior government figures. Sir Keir Starmer himself reportedly received over £134,000 (~$175,000) in hospitality and gifts from Labour Lord Waheed Alli since 2019. This year, the Prime Minister accepted £19,000 (~$25,000) for “work clothes” and designer glasses, as well as access to Lord Alli’s luxury properties.
Unlike the United States, where such gift-giving is prohibited, British politicians can accept gifts as long as they’re declared publicly and come from approved sources. Starmer and other officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, maintain their actions were within legal bounds.
The controversy has incited public outrage, especially given the current economic hardships and recently imposed austerity measures, such as sweeping reductions in winter fuel aid for the elderly.
Britain's Labour Party government, led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is under scrutiny following reports of lavish gifts received by top officials. A recent YouGov survey indicates that 59 percent of voters perceive the government as engaging in "sleaze." This perception arises months after Labour secured a parliamentary majority in July, although they won just over a third of the total vote.
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