Alicia Edmund

Alicia Edmund

Alicia joined the Evangelical Alliance as head of public policy in August 2021. Since then, she has worked on a range of issues from asylum resettlement, refugee integration, poverty relief and religious freedom in the UK and overseas. Alicia leads the advocacy team’s parliament and Whitehall engagement and is focusing all legislative engagement this year on three core themes: identity, freedom and justice.

Police have new powers to arrest, but will this lead to law and order in society?

10 May 2023The final verse in Judges 21 paints an unsettling image where poor leadership and corrupt authority leads to chaos and disorder in society. The verse reads: ‘In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes’. Without agreement between authority and the people, civil unrest amongst the tribes of Israel persisted, idol practices were rife and the poor and most vulnerable in society were left without legal redress and neglected by those in power. The…

Read more...

Maternity care for Black and Asian women deemed "appalling" by MPs

25 April 2023The difference in health outcomes during pregnancy and following childbirth based on ethnicity is well documented in medical journals and parliamentary inquiries. Since 1995, it has been government policy for hospitals in England and Wales to collect patient’s ethnicity data with the view that information will help identify health differences in the population. The first confidential enquiry report into maternal deaths in the UK was in 2000, and the reports have been conducted periodically ever…

Read more...

Baroness Casey calls for a culture reset in the Metropolitan Police

29 March 2023When reading through the Casey report, although saddened and frustrated I was not surprised by her conclusions. Prior to joining the Evangelical Alliance, the majority of my career was spent working for different charities supporting young men and women connected to the criminal justice system in some way. I have mentored 16-25-year-old women leaving Holloway prison and integrating back into the community, where for many, the line between offender and victim is blurred in a single story -…

Read more...

Abortion buffer zones – why we must continue to speak out

6 February 2023Clause 9 is one of many controversial proposals in the Bill. In its current form the clause would create a 150-metre “buffer-zone” around all abortion clinics and make it a criminal offence for anyone that seeks to “interfere with a person’s decision to access abortion services”. The argument is that this clause is needed in order to provide safe access for women going to abortion facilities. When in practice the clause restricts peaceful presence near abortion facilities and criminalises…

Read more...

Political stalemate in Northern Ireland must end in 2023

21 December 2022The power-sharing arrangements in the Belfast Good Friday Agreement set out rules that both a first and deputy first minister must be occupied for an executive to exist and government business to proceed. Should one role become vacant then the entire executive falls. The May 2022 election result signalled a change in political leadership, but not a change to political instability in Northern Ireland. For the first time in Northern Irish history, Sinn Fein Irish republican party won the…

Read more...

Interview: Scotland public policy highlights, and what’s new in Holyrood for 2023

21 December 2022Of all the nations, I would say Scotland and the Scottish parliament has been the most active in introducing and consulting on new legislation. What are some of the different policy areas you have worked on this past year? Yes, it has been a very busy year in Scotland. We are part of the Scottish government’s faith and belief engagement group through which we are able to represent our members across different policy issues. We have also met with MSPs from across the different political parties…

Read more...

Westminster: our work is not done – what does this mean for 2023?

20 December 2022The honest answer is “no-one knows” and anyone who is 100% convinced that there will or will not be an election have not learnt from the unpredictable year we have just had as a nation. In the conversations I have had with policy advisers and MPs there is now a settled thought that the political rollercoaster has eased, and a general election is most likely to take place in 2024. As parliament takes a break for recess and there is time to think, I want to reflect on the year that has been –…

Read more...

Church and policymakers unite in parliament to talk cost of living

3 November 2022More than 60 individuals representing government departments, parliamentarians and poverty relief organisations came together at Portcullis House, to hear about the compassionate and creative ways churches are providing support to those most in need. The night was a mix of presentations, opening with a video address from Dr John Kirby urging policymakers to “not be complacent in this moment and provide additional financial support for those struggling”. This followed on from hearing from a…

Read more...

What do Rishi's policy promises mean for the UK?

26 October 2022In his first address to the nation he sought to unite and rally the Conservative party around its 2019 manifesto, but can he deliver, and in doing so will it serve the good of the whole country?

Read more...

The Evangelical Alliance joins the ‘Enough to Live’ campaign

8 August 2022Across the nation, there are growing concerns about how the increase in inflation and energy prices will see millions of families across the UK struggling to cope this winter. On Sunday, 7 August, the former prime minister Gordon Brown along with 56 faith groups, charities and regional politicians came together to call on the government to take urgent action on the cost-of-living crisis. The report assesses the extent to which cost-of-living measures announced in May will compensate for three…

Read more...

Briefing: Weddings law in England and Wales

1 August 2022In summer 2019, the UK government commissioned the Law Commission to "provide recommendations that allow for greater choice within a simple, fair and consistent legal structure". A year later, the Law Commission published its consultation paper, hosting online conversations, roundtables and inviting civil society to respond to questions about wedding ceremonies and the legal requirements. You can read our consultation submission here. The Law Commission’s 471-page report, complete with 57…

Read more...

2
3