The attack on Australia’s Jewish community on Bondi Beach in recent days has left me shaken and heartsick. It joins a grim list of assaults on Jewish life across the world, including the attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur earlier this year. These are not isolated acts. They sit within… Continue reading After Bondi: grief, fear, and the hard work of refusing hatred
Category: UK Politics
Brown Shirts Around the Corner? Why We Must Confront Britain’s Slide to the Far Right
Yesterday’s scenes in London — tens of thousands rallying behind Tommy Robinson, violent clashes with police, and chants straight from the darkest pages of European history — were not an aberration. They were a symptom of something far more dangerous: a political culture that has normalised far-right populism and is increasingly dancing to its tune.… Continue reading Brown Shirts Around the Corner? Why We Must Confront Britain’s Slide to the Far Right
In the Image of God: a queer Christian response to the UK Supreme Court ruling on Sex and Gender Identity
This post was written for OneBodyOneFaith and was published on the charity’s website on Monday 26 May 2025 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139.13-14 On April 16, 2025, the UK Supreme Court delivered a… Continue reading In the Image of God: a queer Christian response to the UK Supreme Court ruling on Sex and Gender Identity
Trans youth are loved
In the summer of 2024, in the face of open hostility towards trans people and especially trans young people, in the media, social media, and in political life, the Trans Solidarity Alliance invited celebrities, politicians, and the general public to record short videos telling trans young people that they are loved. Here is mine.
Trans rights should be supported not reversed. A cautionary note to the Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss
On Wednesday this week, the UK Government Minister for Women & Equalities, Liz Truss MP, who serves in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Trade, set out her priorities for the Government Equalities Office in a statement to a House of Commons Select Committee. To the distress of many in LGBTQ communities,… Continue reading Trans rights should be supported not reversed. A cautionary note to the Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss
Overcoming the new ‘permission to hate’ – stopping racism in football grounds, transphobia in the media, antisemitism and Islamaphobia in politics, and the rise in nationalism
Yet again yesterday, we woke to news headlines reporting racist chants at a football ground. This time it is apparently the supporters of Tottenham Hotspur directing ‘monkey noises’ at players of Chelsea in their game on Sunday. Those of us involved in the administration of sport had hoped that this kind of conduct had been… Continue reading Overcoming the new ‘permission to hate’ – stopping racism in football grounds, transphobia in the media, antisemitism and Islamaphobia in politics, and the rise in nationalism
“We have always stood up for the people. We have always stood up for the rule of law.” – my remarks to the City of London’s Common Council
On Thursday 10 October 2019, the City of London’s governing Court of Common Council boldly reiterated its longstanding support for the United Kingdom’s Independent Judiciary and the Rule of Law. The motion, proposed by my colleagues Deputy Tom Sleigh and Alderman Tim Hailes came in response to recent attacks on the judiciary by public figures… Continue reading “We have always stood up for the people. We have always stood up for the rule of law.” – my remarks to the City of London’s Common Council
A true leader in London, Haringey’s Claire Kober speaks out for inclusive visionary leadership, and warns against populism and surrendering power to vocal minorities
Every so often I have the privilege of hearing a speech that is inspiring and thought provoking. As readers of my blog will know, my political inspiration doesn’t always from ‘my side of the aisle’ and so it was last week, when a Labour politician grabbed my attention and my applause by the power and… Continue reading A true leader in London, Haringey’s Claire Kober speaks out for inclusive visionary leadership, and warns against populism and surrendering power to vocal minorities
Why today’s LGBTQ+ Pride in London is a day of mixed emotions for me and for many
Today is Pride in London, the United Kingdom’s largest gathering of Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer people together with their allies and friends and others whose life, love, or identity is marked in some way by difference. For me and for many it is a day of great celebration for the achievements of equality… Continue reading Why today’s LGBTQ+ Pride in London is a day of mixed emotions for me and for many
Recent events a wake-up call to politicians: austerity must end, we need a kinder, fairer way
In My Opinion piece written for The Smithfield Gazette, June 2017 The last twelve months in British and global politics, along with incidents of domestic and international terrorism, and the horrendous fire at Grenfell Tower in West London must surely be the wake-up call needed for those of us involved in public life to think… Continue reading Recent events a wake-up call to politicians: austerity must end, we need a kinder, fairer way
C. E. Lord OBE 