The British Right Is in Oddly Fine Fettle
The British Conservative Party is in an odd state. A conference on Monday on 'remaking Conservatism,' put on by Margaret Thatcher's favorite think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies, attracted more than 300 people, filling London's Guildhall. The speakers, who included the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, and the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, were often upbeat. The room even united in joy when a couple of protestors who tried to disrupt Badenoch's speech were thrown out. It all had the feeling of a party waiting for power rather than one that just received the worst drubbing in its electoral history.
The Conservative Party's fortunes have only deteriorated since that defeat. The Tories are in danger of being squeezed between a Labour Party that is moving sharply to the right, particularly on immigration and welfare reform, and a Reform Party that offers red meat to right-of-center voters. A recent poll asking who would make the best prime minister put the leader of Reform, Nigel Farage, ahead in 335 seats, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, ahead in 291 seats, and Badenoch ahead in just six.
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Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Associated Press
Southern Baptist public policy arm survives challenge to its conservative credentials
DALLAS (AP) — Southern Baptist representatives on Wednesday fended off two efforts to move the staunchly conservative body even more sharply to the right, giving a vote of confidence to its public-policy agency and defeating a proposed constitutional ban on churches with women pastors. The votes came just before the adjournment of the two-day annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination. Church 'messengers' voted 3,744-2,819 to retain their public policy agency, rejecting calls for its abolition from those who allege the entity is tainted by liberal affiliations on immigration issues and who want it to be even more conservative than it already is. The bid to enshrine a ban on churches with women pastors in the SBC constitution received a 3,421-2,191 vote, but that 61% majority fell short of the two-thirds support needed to initiate a constitutional ban. The measures reflect debate only on the degree of conservatism in the SBC. It comes just a day after messengers overwhelmingly endorsed a call to overturn the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage , and any other court and legislative actions with similar results. And it comes in a denomination that officially opposes women pastors, and where the debate is over whether that applies to women in subordinate pastoral roles. The action affirming the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission amounted to a vote of confidence in the public advocacy voice of the nation's largest evangelical body, coming at a time when Christian conservatives have unprecedented influence in Washington. Willy Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida, said he filed the motion to abolish the ERLC with the aim of making it heed member criticisms. Had the measure passed, he argued, it would have given the agency time to enact changes by next year's annual meeting, when its fate would have come up for a final vote. 'But make no mistake, this motion is a wake-up call,' he said. But Richard Land, a former longtime president of the commission, said it would be 'tragic' to silence Baptists' voice in Washington. 'We have more opportunity right now to influence public policy in our nation's capital than we have had in my lifetime,' Land said. 'We have a president who is more sympathetic. … We have more congressmen and senators who are sympathetic to what we as Southern Baptists are trying to do, and to turn back the barbarians at the gate in our culture.' President Donald Trump has created at least three religion-focused entities with a strong evangelical Christian influence, reflecting the overwhelming support he's received from that demographic. Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, presented a slideshow in defense of the organization. It included a photo of him with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a fellow Southern Baptist. A day before the vote, an ERLC event championed a Tennessee ban on certain medical treatments for transgender minors that faces a Supreme Court challenge. Abolishing the organization 'means the public square would be abandoned by the SBC, losing a powerful voice for the truth of the Gospel and in effect, rewarding secular efforts to push religion out,' Leatherwood said. What does the ERLC do? While not a lobbying organization, the ERLC has advocated against abortion and transgender rights. It has promoted a strongly pro-Israel stance, a longtime evangelical priority. The commission has also provided ultrasound machines for organizations that seek to dissuade women from having abortions. Leatherwood credited the ERLC with advocating for the repeal of Roe v. Wade, which was realized in a 2022 Supreme Court decision ending the nationwide right to an abortion. That was followed by abortion bans in several states. Leatherwood also touted ERLC advocacy for a pending congressional move to defund Planned Parenthood . But some criticism focused on the ERLC's opposition to criminal penalties for women who seek abortions. 'Time after time, they've opposed righteous pro-life legislation that seeks equal justice for the unborn, arguing that those who choose abortion should face no legal consequences,' Ethan Jago, pastor of Five Bridges Church in Panama City, Florida, said in calling for the vote to abolish the commission. Rice contended that 'outside progressive advocacy organizations have financially supported' the commission. But Leatherwood said more than 98% of commission funding comes from the SBC, with the remaining coming Baptist state conventions and individuals. While the ERLC has been criticized for its advocacy on immigration reform, the commission says it has promoted only stances in keeping with official SBC resolutions calling for both the rule of law and respect for human dignity. Women in pastoral roles debated The proposal on women pastors was a rerun of recent years' meetings. A similar proposal received two-thirds of votes in 2023, but fell just short of the necessary supermajority in 2024. Wednesday's vote sought to restart the process. The denomination's official statement of belief, the Baptist Faith and Message, reserves the role of pastor to men. Southern Baptist churches are self-governing. But the convention can kick them out if deemed not in 'friendly cooperation,' based in part on how closely they adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message on issues such as women pastors. But there remain disagreements over whether the faith statement applies only to women as a senior pastor or similar role, or whether it applies to ministry assistants with the title of pastor. In recent years, the convention began purging churches that either had women as lead pastors or asserted that they could serve that role. That included one of its largest congregations, California's Saddleback Church. But when an SBC committee this year retained a South Carolina megachurch with a woman on its pastoral staff, some argued this proved the need for a constitutional amendment. The church later quit the denomination of its own accord. Other ERLC-related controversies Criticism has long dogged the ERLC. After Leatherwood last year commended former President Joe Biden — who is deeply unpopular among religious conservatives — for withdrawing his reelection bid, the then-chairman of the commission announced his firing. However, the commission retracted that announcement and the chairman resigned when it became clear that its board's executive committee hadn't agreed to that. Instead, the board gave Leatherwood a strong vote of confidence along with a warning against stirring unnecessary controversy. A previous commission president drew fire for his harsh criticisms of pro-Trump pastors in 2016. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Starmer's immigration crackdown could kill off the Mickey Mouse degree
In 1999, Tony Blair pledged that half of young people would go to university. The sector mushroomed, producing a rash of so-called 'Mickey Mouse degrees' – those useless, and now very expensive, courses that result in low salaries and few job prospects. But they may finally be under threat – from a Labour government. Sir Keir Starmer announced in May that universities would face tighter restrictions on recruiting overseas students as part of a wider push to reduce immigration. Under the reforms, universities would face a levy on fee income from international students and stricter restrictions on how long students can remain in the UK after they graduate. Telegraph analysis has identified more than a dozen universities that rely on foreign students for more than half their fee income, and whose graduates typically earn salaries of less than £30,000 five years after graduation. The table below shows these universities: Karl Williams, of the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, accused universities of 'papering over the cracks in their funding through foreign students', who they can charge unlimited fees. He said: 'Poor graduate salaries show that all too often the courses universities offer – both to domestic and international students – do not provide the outcomes students are hoping for. 'The only way to encourage universities to improve their courses and get themselves on a more sustainable financial footing is to clamp down on student numbers and create an immigration system which truly does attract the best and brightest.' Charging higher fees to foreign students to subsidise domestic ones is not unusual when compared to universities in Canada, Australia and the US. However, British universities have been hamstrung by a freeze on tuition fees since they were introduced in 2012. Professor Brian Hall, who chairs the Migration Advisory Committee, said: 'When tuition fees were introduced, universities could break even on their domestic students, and international students were a nice-to-have. 'Since then, universities have been told to keep their prices steady while paying higher pension, salary and building costs.' Universities therefore responded by introducing more cheap-to-run courses such as business studies, as opposed to engineering, and recruiting more students from abroad. But this approach is fast reaching its limit, and universities are already going bust. Prof Hall said: 'When inflation reached 10pc in 2022, that was the final nail in the coffin. The model can't continue in its current form, and I worry about some of the lower-ranked universities. 'If they push up their prices any more, they will see a reduction in the number of students applying.' Even after the coalition government granted universities the power to charge thousands of pounds a year for tuition, universities have plainly struggled to balance the books against a ballooning number of students. Just as Sir Tony envisioned, the number of successful applications through the University and College Admissions system in Britain ballooned from 335,000 in 1999 to a peak of 570,000 in 2020. Meanwhile, visas granted to overseas students reached a peak of 484,000 in 2022, with record numbers of Chinese and Indian students offsetting a decline in those from the EU after Brexit. A government report noted that the growth in the student population since 2020 'has been driven by increases in overseas students on postgraduate taught courses'. The total amount foreign students have paid through uncapped fees has more than doubled from £5.3bn to £11.6bn between 2017 and 2024. Meanwhile, domestic fees have increased by just £2.5bn in the same period, from £10.5bn to £13bn. Eyebrows have been raised at the merit of the courses for which universities charge full price, not least at media courses with modules on Disney, which would leave a typical graduate earning below minimum wage for five years. Nick Hillman, of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said Labour's white paper 'absolutely might mean some less prestigious courses are closed down'. He added: 'There are a lot of universities in the middle of the league table which are kept going by international students, and demand for their courses is very dependent on immigration policy. 'You have some courses where international students are propping up the course, and it probably applies to the very prestigious courses at the other end of the spectrum as well.' Universities reliant on a high number of students from Pakistan, India and Nigeria would be especially hit by restrictions on how long graduates can remain in the UK, Mr Hillman added. In the 2023-24 financial year, the most recent for which data is available, one in three universities relied on foreign cash for over half their fee income, Telegraph analysis shows. These include 17 universities where a typical graduate earns a salary of less than £30,000 in five years, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Among them is the University of the Arts, London, which made £242m in fees from foreign students in 2024, up from £91m in 2017. A typical UAL graduate's salary five years after graduation is £26,300 a year, according to HESA. A UAL spokesman said: 'The UK's creative industries are a huge contributor to the economy and the UK's status as a global creative leader must not be taken for granted. 'Measures of graduate success that focus narrowly on immediate post-university salary fail to reflect the realities of the creative industries.' Shadow education minister, Neil O'Brien, called on Labour to 'ensure that our higher education sector upholds the quality and global reputation it deserves'. He added: 'We have long warned that too many universities have prioritised revenue over rigour, offering low-value degrees to foreign students simply to boost their income.' The crackdown on universities' reliance on overseas students comes a year after Rishi Sunak pledged to scrap 'rip-off' degrees that the former prime minister claimed 'make students poorer', in favour of more funding for high-skill apprenticeships. Edinburgh Napier University similarly relies on overseas students for two-thirds of its fee income. The university raked in £46m from foreign students in 2023-24. However, a typical ENU graduate earns £29,200 a year five years after graduation. A university spokesman said: 'We are proud of our international students, who enhance the success of Edinburgh Napier and enrich the university experience for all. ENU graduates continue to make a positive difference to people's lives across a wide range of sectors around the world.' Universities UK, which represents all universities in England and Wales, argued there was 'no such thing as a Mickey Mouse university', and that measuring a university's quality by graduate salaries was too simplistic. A spokesman said: 'Some of the institutions named here are world-renowned in specialist fields like music, art or dance, while others do the vital job of training nurses and teachers – all are necessary for the country to thrive. 'The financial challenges facing universities stem from falling per-student funding, visa changes which have decreased international enrolments, and a longstanding failure of research grants to cover costs. 'However, it is simply wrong to pinpoint these institutions as particularly at risk, given the diverse range of income streams universities have.' A spokesman for the Office for Students said: 'We recognise that universities and colleges are facing increased financial challenges. 'However, we have repeatedly been clear that they should be alive to the risk of over-reliance on fee income from international students, particularly when recruitment is predominantly from a single country.' A government spokesman said: 'Students rightly expect a high-quality education, and the Office for Students has powers to protect their interests. In line with our mission to drive up standards through our Plan for Change, we have asked the OfS to make that work a priority. 'Our reforms will ensure value for money for students while delivering the high-quality education they deserve and ensuring universities play their part in driving economic growth. 'The Education Secretary and the OfS have been clear that many institutions will need to change their business models to ensure they remain financially sustainable.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former council leader returns to top job
A former leader of Walsall Council has returned to the position, a year after he resigned from the role. Mike Bird stepped down from leading the Conservative-run council in June 2024 after being suspended from the party. The new leader was confirmed on Tuesday after councillor Garry Perry, who succeeded Bird as leader, resigned himself from the role over what he described as "a campaign of political attrition, deliberate undermining and personal hostility". Bird said the council had been through "turbulent times" in recent weeks and thanked Perry at the meeting. Bird, who represents Pheasey Park Farm, has led Walsall Council six times. "We must unite as a council no matter what political party you are," he told councillors. "Tonight I feel like the osprey that has returned back to its nest and I am very grateful for that." The Conservatives have a majority on Walsall Council with 37 elected councillors. Perry resigned with immediate effect on 21 May, saying the borough deserved better "than the behaviour it is currently being subjected to behind closed doors." In his statement, he added: "I have been subjected to a sustained campaign of political attrition, deliberate undermining and personal hostility — not because of failure or wrongdoing but because I refused to play the game of patronage and self-preservation." Councillors welcomed Bird back to the chamber. Councillor Aftab Nawaz, leader of the Walsall independent group, said: "The way you were removed from council was an affront to democracy in this chamber. "We had people from outside deciding who would [run] this council and that is never good." Councillor Matt Ward, leader of the Labour group, asked Bird if he would investigate the "serious allegations" around bullying made by Perry. The new leader said: "I will speak to Garry, I have no knowledge of where his bullying came from, it certainly wasn't from me." The Conservative Party has been approached for a response. Follow BBC Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council leader resigns over 'political attrition' Council leader suspended by Tories after disciplinary Conservative councillors must unite - new leader Walsall Council
