Mitzvah Day demonstrates the power of inter-faith cooperation
The twentieth Mitzvah Day in the UK demonstrated the power of shared service to strengthen interfaith relationships at a time when tensions have risen nationwide. Volunteers from Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities joined together in more than 200 projects, including preparing food for night shelters and refugee support at Alyth Synagogue in Golders Green. Organisers emphasised that practical cooperation builds trust where dialogue alone can struggle, particularly following strained relations linked to conflict in the Middle East. Founder Laura Marks, who also co-created the Nisa-Nashim network for Jewish and Muslim women, celebrated ongoing friendships and urged continued collaboration beyond the annual event. Leaders, including Rabbi Josh Levy and Bishop Anderson Jeremiah, noted that initiatives like Mitzvah Day help to deepen community bonds and provide resilient foundations for future peacebuilding. Participants said that acts of kindness reflect religious responsibility to seek the good of others, even amid political or social division.
Budget: the main headlines
Rachel Reeves has delivered her second Budget against a backdrop of weak economic growth, high inflation and tightening household finances. Seeking to raise revenue without triggering an inflation spike, she avoided the previously signalled rise in income tax rates and instead relied on a wide mix of indirect tax changes and frozen thresholds. Measures include new or higher taxes on wealth, property, tourism, gambling and high-sugar drinks, along with a future per-mile charge for electric vehicles. A major welfare change will see the two-child benefit cap scrapped in April 2026, while benefits rise in line with inflation. Business incentives are also adjusted, including changes to capital allowances and dividend taxation. She has also raised the basic living wage significantly: see Critics warn the strategy adds complexity and prolongs record-high tax levels, raising concerns that further tax rises may still be needed. Reeves positioned the Budget as a necessary step to stabilise public finances while supporting workers and the most vulnerable during economic uncertainty.
North Sea energy: Government allows some new licences
The Government has announced a shift in its North Sea energy policy, allowing limited new oil and gas licences - but only where developments connect to existing fields and infrastructure without further exploration. The move marks a softening of Labour's previous pledge to halt new licensing entirely as part of efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Britain’s oil and gas production has sharply declined since the early 2000s, and further reductions are expected over coming decades. At the same time, the Government confirmed it will keep in place the windfall tax introduced during the energy price surge until 2030, despite strong lobbying from industry leaders who argue it deters investment and threatens jobs. Ministers maintain the tax remains essential to raise funds for the transition to clean energy, and a replacement price-linked mechanism is planned once the levy expires. The debate highlights the complex balance between economic security, climate responsibility and workforce stability.
Justice system: Lammy wants to restrict the right to a jury trial
Major changes to the justice system in England and Wales are being considered as justice secretary David Lammy proposes restricting the right to a jury trial for many criminal cases. Only those accused of the most serious offences - such as rape, murder, and manslaughter - would be guaranteed a jury; all other defendants facing serious charges would be tried by a judge alone. The proposals aim to address record delays and a backlog of more than 78,000 Crown Court cases, which could rise to more than 100,000 by 2030 without intervention. Supporters say urgent reform is needed to ensure timely justice for victims, but the chair of the Criminal Bar Association, which represents criminal barristers, has said: ‘Their actions will destroy a criminal justice system that has been the pride of this country for centuries, and destroy justice as we know it. Juries are not the cause of the backlog. The cause is the systematic underfunding and neglect that has been perpetrated by this government and its predecessors for years.’
