The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill would prohibit the sale, offering for sale, or advertisement in England and Northern Ireland of low-welfare animal activities which take place abroad. The activity types covered would be set out in regulations, but would include those where animals are subject to unnecessary suffering or are kept in confinement.
Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill: HL Bill 122 of 2022–23 (217KB PDF)
On 14 July 2023, the second reading of the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill is scheduled to take place in the House of Lords. It is a private member’s bill from the House of Commons, which was originally introduced by Angela Richardson (Conservative MP for Guildford). Its sponsor in the Lords is Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative). It completed its House of Commons stages on 17 March 2023 and is supported by the government. The bill has received cross-party support.
The bill would prohibit the sale, offering for sale, or advertisement in England and Northern Ireland of low-welfare animal activities which take place abroad. The activity types covered would be set out in regulations, but would include those where animals are subject to unnecessary suffering or are kept in confinement, for example their use in tourist entertainment. This would be based on the UK’s welfare standards.
Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill: HL Bill 122 of 2022–23 (217KB PDF)
In January 2026, the government announced a new scheme to support urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed places of worship. Called the ‘Places of worship renewal fund for England’, it replaced the ‘Listed places of worship grant scheme’ which had run since 2001. This briefing provides an overview of both schemes, the government’s reasoning for the change and the reaction of stakeholders.
There have been big differences in expenditure across different forms of healthcare for a number of years. In 2024/25, spending on acute care was £74.7bn, compared to £14.5bn on primary care and £13.8bn on community services. Both the 2024 Labour Party manifesto and the subsequent 10 year health plan for England contained an emphasis on shifting towards more care being delivered in local communities rather than in acute settings, dubbed a ‘neighbourhood health service’.
Concerns about abuse and intimidation towards elected representatives have increased in recent years. The Jo Cox Civility Commission made a number of recommendations in a 2024 report to address this because of concerns that this activity would dissuade people from standing in elections and encourage existing representatives to stand down. The government has instigated a number of policies to tackle the abuse and intimidation of elected representatives.
