Category: Politics

The royal couple were greeted at St Thomas’ Anglican Church by the archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, and children from the church’s Sunday school who waved Australian flags….reports Asian Lite News

King Charles and Queen Camilla met large, cheering crowds in Sydney after attending a church service on Sunday, the first event of their Australia tour.

The royal couple were greeted at St Thomas’ Anglican Church by the archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, and children from the church’s Sunday school who waved Australian flags.

Camilla, wearing a pale green Anna Valentine dress and straw hat, was given a flower bouquet by the minister’s wife, Ellie Mantle, who asked if they had recovered from jet lag after the long flight to Australia on Friday. “Sort of,” Camilla replied.

Inside the church, Charles and Camilla signed two bibles, including one that belonged to Australia’s first minister and chaplain of the First Fleet of ships that took convicts from Britain to the penal colony of Australia in 1788.

Outside, the royal couple shook hands and chatted with families and cheering fans, some singing “God Save the King,” who lined the streets around the church, the public’s first opportunity to meet Charles and Camilla since they arrived in Australia’s biggest city on Friday night. Traveling across Sydney Harbour, Charles visited the New South Wales parliament, marking the 200th anniversary of Australia’s oldest legislature.

The king presented the lawmakers with an hour glass to time their speeches, and highlighted the fundamental role of strong parliaments to democracy.

“What a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as sovereign and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long,” he said. Charles is making his inaugural visit to an overseas realm as sovereign and his first major foreign trip since being diagnosed with cancer.

He will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa after the six-day Australia tour. Charles had made a significant personal donation to create a skills program to tackle climate change and boost higher education in small island states, including the Pacific Islands, the Association of Commonwealth Universities said on Sunday.

“Throughout my life I have believed in the power of education to improve lives and unite communities across the Commonwealth and beyond,” he said in a statement.

Mid-career professionals and civil servants will benefit from the fellowships, in a program that aims to retain talent in small island states and bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels.

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The 41-year-old childminder called for “mass deportation now” and added: “If that makes me racist, so be it.”…reports Asian Lite News

The wife of a Conservative councillor has been jailed for 31 months after calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire. Lucy Connolly, whose husband serves on West Northamptonshire Council, posted the expletive-ridden message on X on the day three girls were killed in Southport.

The 41-year-old childminder called for “mass deportation now” and added: “If that makes me racist, so be it.” Judge Melbourne Inman KC told Birmingham Crown Court the sentence for these offences was intended to “punish and deter”.

The hearing was told Connolly, of Parkfield Avenue in Northampton, sent a WhatsApp message on 5 August joking that the tweet to her 10,000 followers had “bitten me on the arse, lol”. Connolly previously admitted intending to stir up racial hatred.

Opening the case, prosecutor Naeem Valli said Connolly also sent a message saying she intended to work her notice period as a childminder “on the sly” – despite being de-registered. Valli added: “She then goes on to say that if she were to get arrested she would ‘play the mental health card’.”

The court heard Connolly, who had no previous convictions, also sent another tweet commenting on a sword attack, which read: “I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders.” Another X post sent by Connolly – commenting on a video posted by the far right activist Tommy Robinson – read “Somalian I guess” and was accompanied by a vomiting emoji.

Connolly appeared before the court via a video link to HMP Peterborough while her husband, councillor Raymond Connolly, watched the proceedings from the public gallery.

Liam Muir, defending, said Connolly had lost a child in horrific circumstances and was distinguished from other offenders using social media in that she had sent the tweet at the heart of the case before any violence against asylum seekers had started.

Muir told the court: “The horrendous way in which she lost her son, being turned away from the health service, can only have a drastic detrimental effect on someone. Whatever her intention was in posting the offending tweet, it was short-lived and she didn’t expect the violence that followed, and she quickly tried to quell it.”

Passing sentence, Judge Inman told the court that Connolly’s tweet – which was read 310,000 times – was “intended to incite serious violence”. “When you published those words you were well aware how volatile the situation was,” he said. “That volatility led to serious disorder where mindless violence was used.”

Connolly wore a blue short sleeve top and appeared emotionless for most of hearing, pushing her hair back at times. The judge, considering the mitigation, noted Connolly’s previous good character and that she did not repeat her statement.

Connolly was ordered to serve 40% of her 31-month sentence in prison before being released on licence. Det Ch Supt Rich Tompkins, head of crime and justice at Northamptonshire Police, said he hoped the sentencing demonstrated “that the police take reports of this nature seriously”.

“We will do everything we can to help our communities feel safe and protected from fear of violence,” he added.

“If you have been a victim of a hate crime, please contact us so we can investigate it. No one should be targeted for who they are.”

Tory MP criticised for Badenoch children comment

A veteran Conservative MP has sparked outrage after saying he would not support Kemi Badenoch to be the Tory party leader because she is “preoccupied with her own children”.

Sir Christopher Chope told ITV News that the frontrunner in his party’s leadership race would be unable to commit to the role of leader of the opposition as she has young children.

Chope said he would support Badenoch’s opponent, the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, adding: “I myself am supporting Robert Jenrick because I think he’s brought more energy and commitment to the campaign, and being leader of the opposition is a really demanding job.

“Much as I like Kemi, I think she’s preoccupied with her own children, quite understandably. I think Robert’s children are a bit older, and I think that it’s important that whoever leads the opposition has got an immense amount of time and energy.”

Both candidates have three children. Badenoch’s youngest is five and Jenrick’s is eight.

Chope’s comments were quickly condemned by members of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, with Jenrick also distancing himself from them.

Liz Jarvis, the Liberal Democrat MP, tweeted: “Diminishing women’s ability to play leading roles in public life because they have young families is an attitude that should be in the distant past.”

Helena Dollimore, a Labour backbencher, posted: “I thought nothing could shock me about the state of the Conservative party, but that was before I had to sit through Christopher Chope MP opining about whether mothers can lead political parties.”

Her Labour colleague Stella Creasy added: “This is why we urgently need paternity leave sorted. Because until people start wondering if dads get distracted by their kids as much as they do mums, we will always have dinosaurs walk amongst us … or in this case on the modernisation committee in parliament …”

A spokesperson for Jenrick also disowned Chope’s comments, saying: “Rob doesn’t agree with this. He’s raising three young daughters himself.”

Badenoch, who herself attracted criticism after appearing to suggest maternity pay was “excessive”, is the current favourite in the Tory leadership election and will go head-to-head with Jenrick in a televised event on GB News on Thursday evening.

Chope denied his comments related to Badenoch being a woman. Speaking later in the day to Times Radio, he insisted they were justified.

“I repeat the point which I was making before, and that is that Kemi has got a young family and so it’s less likely that she’s going to be able to spend as much time as is required as somebody who hasn’t got the commitments of a young family,” he said.

“Now, that’s not suggesting she’s unsuited or anything like that to be the leader of the opposition. And I just think there’s a lot of mischief-making going on here.

“All I’m saying is that one of the candidates has got a younger family than the other one. And has also got a record of wanting to spend more time with her family than engage in going to far-flung constituencies.”

There was widespread anger over misogyny in politics this summer after it emerged that the US Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance had launched an attack on “childless cat ladies”.

In 2016, the Conservative party leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom pulled out of the race after she appeared to suggest that being a mother gave her an advantage over her rival Theresa May, who had no children.

Three years earlier, the Ukip politician Godfrey Bloom sparked controversy by saying that a room debating women in politics was “full of sluts” after two of his colleagues admitted they did not clean behind their fridge.

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The new Covenant is designed to harness the knowledge and expertise of voluntary, community, social enterprises…reports Asian Lite News

The creation of a ‘Civil Society Covenant’ will usher in a new era of partnership between government and civil society and help tackle some of the country’s biggest challenges, the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary will announce today.

The new Covenant is designed to harness the knowledge and expertise of voluntary, community, social enterprises (VCSEs) and charities to deliver better outcomes for communities right across the country.

Civil society occupies a unique place in public life by providing support to those in need, binding communities together and helping drive growth. Across the country, there are countless examples of what partnership between civil society and government can achieve, including youth activities to support vulnerable teenagers and tools to support people into work.

The new Covenant will build a new partnership between government and civil society based on trust and mutual respect. Crucially, it will unlock the dynamism, innovation and trusted reach of civil society across communities, helping to deliver the defining missions of this government; driving economic growth and opening up opportunity to all.

As a first step, a Covenant Framework has been developed in consultation with key civil society bodies, including the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO).

The inclusion of key representative organisations recognises the expertise civil society offers in tackling disadvantage, driving cohesion, supporting democracy and community voices both at home and abroad.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will chair a roundtable discussion with civil society leaders at 10 Downing Street today to launch the Covenant Framework. This will be followed by a reception hosted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to welcome leaders from a range of civil society organisations. Attendees will represent civil society from across the four nations, including grass roots charities and social enterprises covering a range of diverse communities.

Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer said, “To fix the foundations of our country we need a fundamental reset of the relationship between government and civil society. That is why we’re building a new partnership with the sector to tackle the complex social and economic challenges we face as a country. By harnessing the dynamism, innovation and trusted reach of civil society organisations, we can boost growth and deliver better outcomes for communities right across the country”.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said, “The Covenant paves the way for a new era in the relationship between government and civil society — one that recognises the critical role the sector plays as a trusted partner in achieving shared goals for the benefit of communities across the UK. Voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises all understand the challenges being faced every day in our villages, towns and cities and the government wants to work hand-in-hand with them to help fix them — changing lives for the better.”

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) CEO, Sarah Elliott said, “We are proud to be working with the Government on the Civil Society Covenant. This foundational moment resets the relationship between government and civil society, ensuring the expertise of charities and social enterprises are central to decision making. We look forward to continuing our work with partners across the sector to achieve this vision.

Four key principles will form the basis of the Covenant Framework: transparency, recognition, participation and partnership. They will act as a starting point for wider engagement across Government, the public sector and civil society.

Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) CEO, Jane Ide said, “ACEVO welcomes the government’s commitment to work together to develop a Civil Society Covenant which aims to redefine our relationship for the benefit of the people, causes and communities we serve. Effective leadership relies on collaboration, trust, and mutual respect — values that underpin this Covenant. Civil society leaders are essential partners in realising this vision and ensuring its principles are upheld.”

The initiative aims to improve Government and civil society’s ability to tackle complex social and economic challenges by uniting the unique capabilities of the two to facilitate better outcomes for communities which would otherwise be impossible to achieve in isolation.

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