We pray for those relying on the £20/week uplift to Universal Credit. After a vote in Parliament last week, the majority of MPs abstained from committing to making the uplift permanent. We pray for those for whom this money is a lifeline, and that it will become permanent to begin to redress some of the huge cuts to social security in recent years.
We give thanks for workers’ rights. This week, the UK business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng called off a controversial review of workers’ rights which could have seen the maximum 48-hour week scrapped. We give thanks for laws and rights which protect people from overwork and unhealthy working conditions.
We give thanks for young climate activists, for their dedication and passion. We pray for meaningful policy change.
Today we pray for people with disabilities during lockdown. A leading Paralympian, Sophie Carrigill, has stated that the lack of visibility for vulnerable groups has led to many industries ignoring the needs of disabled people during lockdown.
We pray for social workers who say they are braced for a ‘tsunami of needs’. We pray for those relying on support from social work and adequate support for social workers to cope with rising need.
We pray for Tunisia, for those caught up in the clashes and for a just and equitable resolution to the protests.
We pray for people hesitant to take up a coronavirus vaccine. We pray that messaging campaigns to restore trust in the health system will be effective in encouraging people to take up the vaccine.
