And in other news…
Antisemitism
On Wednesday, in the course of the Speech from the Throne at the State Opening of Parliament, His Majesty said: “My Government will take urgent action to tackle antisemitism and ensure all communities feel safe”. On the same day, in a letter to the Commons Home Affairs Committee, Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, wrote:
“Over the last six weeks, Jewish Londoners have been under a sustained period of attack. This has included the attack on a Hatzola ambulance on 23 March, nine other arson/attempted arson attacks, and most significantly the terrorist attack on 29 April in Golders Green, in which two British Jews were stabbed. British Jews are not currently safe in their capital city. This is unacceptable.”
On Thursday, the Commons Home Affairs Committee held an oral evidence session on responses to antisemitism, while The Times reports that during a visit to the Sternberg Centre, also on Thursday, the Archbishop of Canterbury said that antisemitism
“is the terrifying reality for so many Jewish communities, as we have witnessed a horrifying increase in antisemitic violence over the past few weeks, months and years. It is completely unacceptable that you live this reality every day. This is not a problem for the Jewish community to solve. It’s on all of us — every single member of our society — to call out antisemitism whenever we see it, and to oppose it without hesitation or qualification.”
Abusive conversion practices
The King’s Speech also included a promise to bring forward a draft Bill to ban abusive conversion practices [Draft Conversion Practices Bill]. The commitment to bring forward a draft bill to ban conversion practices was included in the King’s Speech in July 2024, which set out the Government’s legislative agenda and policy priorities for its first session of Parliament. However, the bill was not published before the Prorogation of Parliament at the end of April 2026, and Labour’s Manifesto did not give a specific date for its introduction.
New faith minister
The Religion Media Centre reports that Nesil Caliskan, MP for Barking, has been appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Devolution, Faith and Communities at MHCLG, replacing Miatta Fahnbulleh, who resigned when calling for Keir Starmer to quit. Caliskan, 37, was elected in 2024 and has spent the past eight months serving as Comptroller of the Household, the third most senior government whip in the House of Commons. She is the ninth faith minister in ten years. Her Wiki entry says she is the first MP of Turkish-Cypriot heritage, raised in Enfield, with a background as a parliamentary researcher, local councillor and other roles in local government.
The Council of Europe and deportation
On Friday, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe published the Chişinău Declaration, which is principally concerned with the issue of deportation of failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals, especially in light of Article 3 (torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) and Article 8 (private and family life). On the somewhat vexed question of the margin of appreciation, it notes at [5] that;
“In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity and the concept of the margin of appreciation, there may be a range of different but legitimate solutions when applying certain Convention provisions, each of which could be compatible with the Convention depending on the context. Where a balancing exercise has been undertaken at the national level in conformity with the criteria laid down in the Court’s jurisprudence, the Court has generally indicated that it will not substitute its own assessment for that of the domestic courts, unless there are strong reasons for doing so.”
Specifically on migration and expulsion, it says this:
“Specific migration-related issues
16. There are significant, complex, migration-related challenges in various member States which were either unforeseen at the time the Convention was drafted or have evolved significantly since then. The failure to address these challenges adequately may weaken public confidence in the Convention system.
17. The majority of migrants residing legally in the States Parties contribute positively to the receiving societies. Migrants’ fundamental rights and freedoms must be respected and protected in accordance with the principle of non-discrimination.
18. States Parties have the undeniable sovereign right to decide on and control foreign nationals’ entry into and residence in their territory. They have the right to establish their own immigration policies, potentially in the context of bilateral or regional co-operation, and pursue immigration control as a public interest. However, these rights must be exercised in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
19. It is an obligation and a necessity for States Parties to protect their borders in compliance with Convention guarantees, which may include putting arrangements in place at their borders designed to allow access to their national territory only to persons who fulfil the relevant legal requirements.
Expulsion & extradition
20. The inability to expel or extradite an individual convicted or charged with a serious offence can lead to significant challenges for States, including in relation to their fundamental duty to guarantee the right to everyone within their jurisdiction to live in peace, freedom and security, notably by protecting public safety and national security and preventing disorder and crime.
21. The States Parties are encouraged to develop and clarify domestic frameworks ensuring the effective and context-specific application of the relevant Convention rights, including Articles 3 and 8, in cases involving expulsion and extradition.”
The Declaration is non-binding; however, Alain Berset, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, said that it was a “very strong … signal of firm support” for the ECHR by all 46 countries and would “help to guide our own work, as well as that of national authorities and domestic courts”. And in case you are wondering what this has to do with “religion”, the issue is whether or not it will satisfy those calling for the UK to withdraw from the Convention. BBC report here.
Little green men?
In Re St Edward, Kempley (concerning a memorial to the late Roy Stirzaker) [2025] EEC Glo 1, Mr Stirzaker had been a Morris dancer, and his widow, the Petitioner, wanted a representation of a Green Man carved on his headstone in acknowledgement of that association [1&2]. The priest-in-charge had told her that the proposed design might fall outside the Chancellor’s guidelines, and after consulting the Archdeacon and the Registrar, he had concluded that permission could not be given “as the green man symbol is not considered a Christian symbol” [3].
Ruffell Ch decided that the point needed further research [4]. He noted that there were Green Man carvings in Gloucester Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral and that the invitation to the Coronation of Their Majesties in 2023 “contained the image of a green man” [5]. He also noted that in The Green Man/Foliate Head as a Symbol in the Context of Christian Memorialisation, Helen Hall and Javier Garcia Oliva had examined the origins and interpretation of the Green Man image in English architecture in some detail, “particularly in ecclesiastical settings” [7]. He concluded that “there is a strong body of evidence to suggest that the green man is a Christian symbol. Whilst there is evidence that some have tried to link the green man to past traditions, I am not convinced that this linking is historically accurate” [11]. He therefore granted a faculty [12]. [With thanks to Ray Hemingray.]
“Coelos ascendit hodie”
On Ascension Day, Janet Gough sought to champion a return to public view for William Hogarth’s vast Ascension triptych – proof that the English could rival the Continentals in grand-scale church history painting. Painted for St Mary Redcliffe, it now hangs hidden behind a curtain in St Nicholas, Bristol, a backdrop for the church’s drum kit and keyboard.
The painting was commissioned as a new altarpiece for St Mary Redcliffe and was Hogarth’s only commission from the Church of England, for which he was paid £525 and for which the receipt still exists. The Bristol Museum & Art Gallery “officially acquired the triptych in 1955 from the Art Collections Fund” and ”it has been on display at St Nicholas Church since the 1970s”.
Although apparently not subject to earlier judicial consideration, in view of its location in St Nicholas Church, the painting now falls within the faculty jurisdiction, and any changes to its location must be assessed by the Bristol Consistory Court. Re St Stephen Walbrook is one of the few judgments that addresses the peregrinations and disposal of large but otherwise unwanted works of art.
And finally…
The United Reformed Church, which has about 44,000 members across 1,250 congregations, has rebranded its magazine from Reform to Reformed after readers became “fed up” with being confused for Nigel Farage’s party. A huge 86% of readers of the national publication supported the change.
The magazine’s editor pointed out that the URC is not affiliated with any political party and “does not want the name of its magazine to suggest that it is”.