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John Sentamu – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Baron Sentamu)

The tribute made by John Sentamu, the former Archbishop of York, in the House of Lords on 10 September 2022.

My Lords, I was three years old when, in a little village in Uganda called Masooli, we all gathered round a very small transistor radio and listened to the broadcast from the abbey of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth. From then on in every school in Uganda on Empire Day we sang “God save the Queen”. We continue to do it; some still do it now. I stand here as somebody who is quite surprised that this little boy out in Uganda would today be part of the Accession Council and the confirmation of King Charles III. I have mixed emotions.

I want first to echo the words of the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of York, because on Thursday, as soon as we heard the news that Her Majesty had died, I put on Twitter this message:

“Today Churches Celebrate the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on this day is a great shock & Mary’s Magnificat should be our response: MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD: & MY SPIRIT HATH REJOICED IN GOD MY SAVIOUR; REGARDED & MAGNIFIED HER”.

I have stood, on a number of occasions, near Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth as she sang the Magnificat. She did not need the words; she knew them. In a real sense, that was her song too. She sang it from the heart because it expressed who she was. Her true greatness was her deep humility in knowing that the Lord in many ways “regarded” her “lowliness” and, by divine providence, made her Queen. For her, being Queen was an act of nobody but God.

Humbleness was, for her, born out of having Jesus Christ at the centre of her living, her thinking and all her goals, her rejoicing and even in moments of sadness. She knew the holy scriptures well and sang many hymns without needing to look at the words. She really imbibed the whole tradition. Therefore, it was also comforting to hear our new King say the same thing about the services that shaped him.

When in her presence, you were the person who mattered when you spoke to her. She never looked around. It was as if you were the only person in the room, and until that conversation ended her eyes were fixed on you and your smile.

Forgive this testimony. I had an audience with her to ask for her permission to step down from my role after an extra year. Her response was, “The decision is yours and yours alone—not me, not anyone else. Give me the date and so it shall be.” I took that to be a command. There was a matter that was causing me great heartache. I told her, and I asked for her prayers. I knelt down and put my hands together. She put hers outside mine. There was this deep moment of silence. I think it lasted about two to three minutes. It was ended by Her Majesty saying, “Amen.” I got up and, friends, whatever burdens I had come with were lifted. It was as if I was with my grandmother, who had a similar effect on me. If you want to know more, you have to wait until my autobiography is published next year. You will get a bit more story because permission has been given to me to write some of those words down.

Her hospitality was amazing. I stayed at Sandringham and at Windsor. I will tell your Lordships a bit about Windsor. At Windsor on her birthday, after dinner she and Prince Philip guided us to the library. They had already arranged with the archivist the section on Uganda. The books were opened and copies were made so that we could take some of this material with us. The thing that most surprised me was to see writing dictated by King Muteesa I requesting Queen Victoria to send missionaries to Uganda, and subsequently a request that Uganda became a protectorate. Those documents are there. I was speechless, really. We ended up in the restored chapel at Windsor. Again, there were silent prayers. I cannot remember how long.

The death of Queen Elizabeth has left all of us with mixed emotions. I want to end with the experience of our eight year-old granddaughter, Abigail. When she saw the news that the Queen had died she cried, uncontrollably and inconsolably. When she calmed down, she said, “I will never see a queen in my lifetime”. She then said, “Long live the King”. Queen Elizabeth rests in glory. Long live King Charles III.

05/10/2022
PRESS RELEASE : UK appoints new British Defence Attaché to strengthens defence relationship with the Guatemalan army [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 5 October 2022.

Colonel Stewart initiated his new role as the UK’s Defence Attaché to Guatemala. He takes on the role with over 20 years of operational experience in the USA, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

During this initial visit, Colonel Stewart and the British Ambassador, Nick Whittingham, met with the Guatemalan Minister of Defence, Major General Henry Yovani Reyes Chigua. Colonel Stewart reiterated the UK’s eagerness to work alongside Guatemalan counterparts while enhancing cooperation between armed forces.

Colonel Stewart also met with the Commander of the Guatemalan Air Force, Colonel Juan Carlos Ponce and visited the Air Force Defence Unit along with Colonel Roderico Stoardo Guzmán Barrera, head of the Unit. Colonel Stewart discussed new opportunities for cooperation, training and exchange programmes between the UK and Guatemala.

Colonel Stewart also paid a visit to Ms Claudia Herrera, Director of the Coordination Centre for Disaster Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC), an organisation that promotes and coordinates international cooperation and the exchange of information, experiences and technical and scientific advice on disaster prevention, mitigation, care and response.

The British Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) mission is to protect the security, independence and interests of the UK at home and abroad, working closely with allies and partners. Colonel Stewart is also the UK’s observer for the Conference of the Central American Armed Forces (CFAC), he will be residing in Mexico and he will visit Guatemala on a regular basis.

During his visit to Guatemala Colonel Stewart said:

Guatemala is a strategically important country for the entire region and I look forward to working closely with the Armed Forces of Guatemala in partnership and friendship. I was very impressed by the military professionalism and innovation I witnessed and I have also taken inspiration from the drive, determination and skill displayed with regard to humanitarian assistance at CEPREDENAC. Guatemala is a stunningly beautiful country with a great culture and I am excited to explore it more.

05/10/2022
PRESS RELEASE : RMT Marks Ladbroke Grove Rail Disaster [October 2022]

The press release issued by the RMT on 5 October 2022.

TWENTY-THREE YEARS after 31 lives were lost in the Ladbroke Grove rail disaster, RMT say that Government policy is in danger of dragging the railways closer towards the same cocktail of conditions that lead to tragedy on 5th October 1999.

Ladbroke Grove was one of a number of disasters under the watch of the privatised Railtrack, ultimately leading to its abolition and creation of the publicly owned company, Network Rail.

However, RMT is warning that casualisation, a myriad of contractors, long-hours and fatigue – all driven by cuts on the railway – has turned the clock back.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “RMT will never allow those responsible to forget that privatised Railtrack, and the drive to cut corners in the name of profit, led to the disaster at Ladbroke Grove and the wholly preventable loss of life.

“Privatisation, fragmentation and a complete absence of corporate responsibility were at the heart of the tragedy.

“The proliferation of private agencies and contractors, often employing casual staff on zero hours contracts is rapidly dragging us back to the edge.

“The contingency staff utilised by employers during official trade union strike action are often undertrained and inexperienced.”

On the current national rail dispute which will see RMT strike action on Saturday 8 October, Mr Lynch added:

“Now, faced with such an aggressive agenda of cuts to jobs, conditions, pay and pensions, RMT has no choice but to defend our members industrially to stop this race to the bottom.

“The Cullen Inquiry into Ladbroke Grove highlighted the safety critical role of the guard and yet we are still having to fight the battle to stop driver only operations on the railway.

“We will use every tool at our disposal to both defend our members industrially and keep safety at the top of the agenda while demanding the renationalisation of our railways.

05/10/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Bus Workers to Take Strike Action [October 2022]

The press release issued by the RMT on 5 October 2022.

RMT members working on buses in Somerset, and Cornwall will take strike action from October 10, in a fight for better pay and conditions.

Four days of strike action will take place on the following dates:

10 October
21 October
4 November
11 November

Around 400 workers who are planning to take action are furious that many of them are only paid just over £11 and hour and that bosses only offered a small uprate to £12 an hour.

This is despite the fact First Group paid out £500m to shareholders in 2021/22 and has an operating profit of £226m.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members have no choice but to take strike action following an insulting and paltry pay offer.

“First Group is swimming in money and could easily pay bus workers a decent rise that goes some way to dealing with the escalating cost of living crisis.

“The public in Cornwall and Somerset who our members faithfully serve need a service that pays workers properly, so they do not leave the industry, creating chronic bus shortages.

“We are determined to win for our members, and we urge First Group to come to a negotiated settlement with RMT.”

05/10/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Hillsborough – independent forensic pathology review established [October 2022]
The press release issued by the Home Office on 5 October 2022.
The review will consider what went wrong with the original pathological report and ensure similar mistakes are not made in the future.

The review reflects recommendations made in Right Reverend James Jones’ report. The patronising disposition of unaccountable power, a report to ensure the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families is not repeated, which identified failings in the pathological reporting of the deaths at Hillsborough Stadium on 15 April 1989.

The review will be chaired by forensic science expert Mr Glenn Taylor.

The review began on 1 July 2022, following the conclusion of the final criminal trials relating to the Hillsborough disaster.

Mr Taylor is expected to report his findings to the Home Secretary next summer.

It will consider what went wrong with the original pathological report from the disaster to ensure that similar mistakes will not be made in the future.

As set out in the Terms of Reference published today, the review will:

recognise the failures in pathology following the Hillsborough disaster

make an assessment as to whether there is risk of similar failings being made again in the event of a similar mass fatality

assess the adequacy of safeguards currently in place in terms of clinical governance and pathology provision in England and Wales

look at accountability of practitioners and how it has changed since the original inquests

consider if there are lessons learnt from the Hillsborough disaster which can built into the development of Home Office register forensic pathologists and wider provision of pathology services

Mr Taylor is a retired forensic scientist who was in charge of a local authority laboratory. He has extensive experience in major incident planning and oversight of coronial services on behalf of local authorities.

The review has been commissioned by the Pathology Delivery Board (PDB) and is overseen by the Home Office. The PDB is responsible for the provision of forensic pathology services to police and coroners for suspicious death and homicide cases in England and Wales.
05/10/2022
Vicky Ford – 2022 Comments on Ethiopia

The comments made by Vicky Ford, the Minister of State for Development in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, on Twitter on 5 October 2022.

Just met with Ambassador Teferi.

Very disappointed that the Ethiopian Govt has asked me to postpone my visit this week to raise profile of terrible regional drought.

But encouraged at commitment to peace talks and urge all parties to seize chance to end the conflict.

05/10/2022
Aaron Bell – 2022 Comments on the Prime Minister’s Conference Speech

The comments made by Aaron Bell, the Conservative MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, on Twitter on 5 October 2022.

Great speech from the PM!

A global economic crisis is completely the wrong time to be raising taxes on businesses that create wealth. Liz’s growth focused approach will mean British businesses have the freedom to grow and invest – creating jobs and boosting prosperity for all.

05/10/2022
Nicola Sturgeon – 2022 Comments on the “Anti-Growth Coalition”

The comments made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on Twitter on 5 October 2022.

Ranting about an imaginary ‘anti growth coalition’ is just an attempt to obscure the hard reality that the biggest brake on UK growth is Brexit – and that’s on the Tories.

05/10/2022
Gordon Brown – 2022 Comments on the Conservative Party Conference

The comments made by Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister, on Twitter on 5 October 2022.

A message from Tory conference:

Don’t get sick

Don’t be disabled

Don’t be on low pay with kids to feed

Don’t rely on Universal Credit or public services

If you do, get ready to pay for £43bn in tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest the most.

Liz Truss and minister after minister have refused to honour Rishi Sunak’s promise to uprate benefits in line with inflation.

This would leave millions in desperate need and the number of children in poverty hitting 5 million for the first time in a generation.

As millions of families suffer sleepless nights worrying whether they can pay their bills, Tory Party Chair Jake Berry simply channels Norman Tebbit and tells people to cut consumption or get a new job.

Even after receiving the maximum help of £1200, people on Universal Credit are nearly £30 a week worse off than last year.

If the Chancellor abandons the link with inflation, they could end up over £2000 a year worse off, all to help pay for tax cuts and help for the wealthy.

After a study estimated over 330,000 excess deaths linked to austerity, can the government really allow another, more brutal round of cuts?

It’s time for another U-turn to help the millions on the breadline not the millionaires in the boardroom.

05/10/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Olena Zelenska met with Agata Kornhauser-Duda in Poland and spoke at the Warsaw Security Forum [October 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 5 October 2022.

The wife of the President of Ukraine Olena Zelenska paid a visit to the Republic of Poland, during which she held a meeting with the first lady of this country Agata Kornhauser-Duda, spoke at the Warsaw Security Forum and received the Knight of Freedom Award awarded to the Ukrainian people.

Olena Zelenska began her visit with a meeting with the First Lady of the Republic of Poland.

The wife of the President of Ukraine thanked her colleague for the unchanging position of Poland – clear messages of support for our country were heard during the speech of President Andrzej Duda at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Olena Zelenska noted that supporting Ukraine is an investment in the future for the whole world. She spoke about a new opportunity for such support – Olena Zelenska Foundation, which she recently presented in New York.

“This is a new way to participate in the recovery of Ukraine through the restoration of education, medicine or humanitarian aid. I will be happy to present all these directions in Poland,” she said.

The wife of the President of Ukraine thanked Agata Kornhauser-Duda for her personal assistance in the treatment of Ukrainian children in medical institutions in Poland and other countries.

The first ladies discussed a new format of cooperation between the two countries in the field of medicine – the exchange of experience between Ukrainian and Polish doctors in the field of providing care to patients with severe burn injuries.

“Such cooperation is extremely urgent, because as a result of the military aggression against Ukraine, we have a large number of victims with explosive and burn injuries,” said Olena Zelenska.

Together with Agata Kornhauser-Duda, the First Lady of Ukraine visited the Children’s Health Protection Institute in Warsaw, where evacuated Ukrainian children are being treated. It is not only a clinic, but also a research center. More than 7,000 surgeries are conducted here every year. The institute also hosts about a thousand students who are doing internships here. In addition, 400 children’s doctors of various specialties have the opportunity to study and exchange experience at the institution. The hospital also has a simulation training center where special devices teach how to conduct surgeries. Currently, 11 children from Ukraine are being treated at the Institute, the youngest boy is only four years old, but he is fighting cancer like a real hero and patiently follows all the doctors’ instructions.

Olena Zelenska thanked the employees of the institution and Professor Piotr Czauderna, whose efforts facilitated the creation of the Unicorn Hub in Poland for the evacuation of children from the West Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Center in Lviv.

“This is an incredible rescue story. Throughout my visit to Poland, I express gratitude. And here I continue to do it. Our countries have incredible relations. And here I see a practical embodiment not only in helping, but also in saving our children. The evacuation process will be included in textbooks. Thank you to everyone involved,” said the First Lady.

During her visit to Poland, Olena Zelenska also spoke at the annual Warsaw Security Forum (WSF).

Olena Zelenska thanked Poland for the principled and broad support for Ukraine.

“I would like to urge everyone present here not to be afraid to take the risk of standing on the right side – as Poland is doing. After all, as I already said, this is a war of values. It is impossible forWe can’t let Russia set a precedent so that aggression becomes the way of solving problems in the world. We can’t make the rockets falling on residential buildings an acceptable argument for everyone. We can’t let nuclear blackmail become our usual life,” she emphasized.

During the Warsaw Security Forum, the President’s wife received the Knight of Freedom Award awarded to the people of Ukraine. This award is presented by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation to outstanding figures who contributed to the popularization of General Pulaski’s values: freedom, justice and democracy. This year, the organizers awarded the Ukrainian people who are resisting Russian aggression.

“There is a well-known Polish motto: ‘For our freedom and yours.’ Thank you for being with us. We know that you will be with us until the end. Until our victory and yours,” said Olena Zelenska.

The First Lady also met with Ukrainian temporary migrants in Poland and representatives of the Ukrainian community in that country.

“I am glad that you are right here, in Poland, in the country that first opened its doors to us when the Russian attack took place. Because this is a truly fraternal country that shares with us the biggest ordeal during this war,” she emphasized.

05/10/2022