https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/christian-research-action-education-leadership-scheme-mps-anti-abortion-roe-wade/
TL;DR of the article: since 2010 there’s been about 20 MPs (both Tory and Labour as well as a smattering of others) who have taken free interns from Christian Action, Research, and Education (CARE) which provides 11 month placements at Westminster to fresh graduates.
Of those, 13 MPs continued to take interns from CARE despite them coming out as anti gay and pro conversion therapy in 2012.
CARE says that some of these interns have gone on to become cabinet ministers and senior civil servants.
The group also boasted that it “rallied several parliamentarians” to oppose a proposal to give women permanent access to telemedicine for early abortion care, which passed in March.
It also claims to have worked with the DUP to prevent the assembly complying with a 2019 law passed in Westminster that decriminalised abortion, meaning that women were left without access to services.
There’s more information at the link along with a list of who took interns, how many, when, and whether they’ve done distanced themselves or made comments on the group. It also contains quotes from alumni of the scheme who are currently working for the government (one is an MP).
It’s worth reading the full thing and a reminder that we need to be careful about dodgy anti rights groups infiltrating government and slowly working to erode the rights that we currently enjoy.
15 comments
“it’ll never happen here” they say…
> TL;DR of the article: since 2010 there’s been about 20 MPs (both Tory and Labour as well as a smattering of others)
And people on here get angry when I point out the rot isn’t *just* the Tories.
Westminster needs total reform, it no longer works for the people. It is a septic and cancerous growth on British society.
Make no mistake, anti-abortion groups are alive and well in this country.
So 20 over 12 years. This title wording makes it try to sound as if it’s trying to imitate what happened in the USA last week.
Which is legally entirely different because in the US it was just the repeal of legal precedent, rather than the repeat of a law.
If it’s not blazingly obvious that the same nefarious dark money influence and far right Christian nut jobbery that is going on in the states is trying to get a foothold here then I don’t know what is. Endless, and I mean endless culture wars are the start, and how it began in America to divide everyone. If I have to hear a fucking argument about Trans people on the news again I’ll go mad. XR stopping traffic is “literally” genocide. “Woke” panic every time you turn the TV on. It’s absolutely obvious this is, in part, Russian backed or amplified to weaken western democracies. And it’s working. America has never been more divided. UK from Europe too before Putin’s war. I don’t think he counted on the NATO response and I firmly believe the war was planned to be pre covid with Trump is the Whitehouse, probably to have USA out of NATO and even rolling the American army alongside the Russians.
Edit – one thing he has cottoned on to is that a bit of loss of home comforts means that westerners lurch to the far right. Trump is not an outsider bet for next president. The tories will continue on. We’ll all get poorer and angrier and end up voting for Putin wannabees across the western world in reaction to living standards falling. We’re seeing the long game, middle of Cold War at the moment. Wonder how it will evolve.
> The full list of MPs who have taken a research assistant from CARE since 2010 (these were the seats they held at the time the interns were taken, but some have since been replaced):
>Andrew Selous, Conservative MP for South West Bedfordshire (took one intern, 2010-11)
>Barry Sheerman, Labour MP for Huddersfield (took two interns, 2014-15 and 2019-20)
>Caroline Ansell, Conservative MP for Eastbourne (took one intern, 2016-2017)
>Caroline Spelman, former Conservative MP for Meriden (took two interns, 2013-14 and 2017-18)
>Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North (took one intern, 2011-12)
>David Burrowes, former Conservative MP for Enfield Southgate (took two interns, 2011-12, 2016-17)
> David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham (took one intern, 2010-11)
> Fiona Mactaggart, former Labour MP for Slough (took one intern, 2016-17)
> Gary Streeter, Conservative MP for South West Devon (took four interns between 2012-19)
> Gavin Shuker , former Labour MP for Luton South (took one intern, 2013-14)
> Janet Daby, Labour MP for Lewisham East (took one intern, 2021-22)
> Jeremy Lefroy, former Conservative MP for Stafford (took two interns, 2014-15 and 2017-18)
> John Glen, Conservative MP for Salisbury (took two interns, 2011-12 and 2014-15)
> Jon Cruddas, Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham (took one intern, 2017-18)
> Lisa Cameron, Scottish National Party MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (took one intern, 2020-21)
> Liz Kendall, Labour MP for Leicester West (took one intern, 2011-12)
> Naomi Long, former Alliance Party MP for Belfast East (took one intern, 2012-13)
> Sharon Hodgson, Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland West (took one intern, 2011-12)
> Simon Hughes, former Liberal Democrat MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (took one intern, 2013-14)
> Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale (took one intern, 2011-12)
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There’s the full list of 20. 13 are still sitting. None of them currently have staff from this group working for them.
And people say that abortions is settled and not a political issue in this country.
Its not new that US groups or UK groups with US funding are trying to get into high positions to enact their will, the same groups have been doing that to reduce the rights of trans people in this country for years. (the anti-abortion groups are also anti trans groups) And its no secret they want to replicate what is happening in the USA, but people generally dont listen to trans people when they warn of US extremist influence in the UK. But I only know of the groups that get funded by the USA like LGB Alliance etc. They even tried to frame the anti-abortion protestors as “trans rights activists” the other day like people dont realise how closely knit the issues are because the very group that wants 1 group gone, also wants the other group to be forced birthers.
Name and shame every single one of the bastards.
Look at the same groups who fought MindGeek(the parent company of Pornhub) and who railed against the Payment Processors to shut down Onlyfans and you see the same groups who are the christian fundamentalist anti abortion groups
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It’s only just starting in the UK and i’ve been telling people this for a few years now. All under the guise of “wont somebody think of the children”
Y’know it was sad when yesterday people said no one would try this over here.
And it’s fucking obscene that today in the US a TEN YEAR OLD GIRL got denied an abortion as a victim of assault.
20MPs might be a small fraction of the HoP but a few bad apples spoil the fucking bunch.
Oh mad I know someone who worked at CARE.
For the record it’s not an ‘Anit Abortion’ organisation. The organisation is Christian and probably has some specific/controversial views as an organisation, but people working with/for them aren’t necessarily there for anti abortion stance like it’s a defining issue for them.
The American evangelical infiltration of British politics is something the trans community has been aware of and shouting about for a while now.
Wait till you see the influance of the heritage foundation another American evangelical lobby group.
Why would we devolve into lesser beings, having already achieved enlightenment?
This may come as a shock. But people are allowed to hold different views. It doesn’t make them bad people.
Be thankful that your stance on abortion is the one that is the majority view.
Doesn’t mean that everyone has to think that way.
Different situation here for the simple reason that less people believe in sky fairies.