Catholic Union Deputy Director, James Somerville-Meikle, writes:
A week is a long time in politics, and the past seven days must have felt like an age for Rishi Sunak.
The Prime Minister’s Rwanda bill survived Second Reading on Tuesday, but the vote is widely seen as a temporary truce between different factions or “families” within the Conservative party. It’s not the only issue where difficult decisions have been kicked into the long grass of 2024.
The question of what to do about the 250,000 Ukrainians living in this country on temporary visas cannot be avoided for much longer as this horrific war continues. The Catholic Union has been working with Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski to raise this matter with party leaders in Westminster.
Elsewhere, there is still no sign of the Government’s transgender guidance for schools. We are due to meet the Education Secretary on Monday so perhaps we will find out then.
We are also still waiting for the Palliative Care Strategy from the Government. The report from a parliamentary inquiry into assisted suicide is due to be published shortly, which is expected to recommend better end of life care.
Perhaps the biggest can to be kicked down the road is the date for the next General Election, which will almost certainly be in 2024. Christmas recess is badly needed as it looks like a long year ahead.