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.
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...
Open Doors International: Forced migration and faith is poorly understood
20 July 2022In the UK, we live in such a secularised society that popular culture and policymakers can often forget and sadly disregard how important religion is to cultural, political, and social relationships for millions of people living in the global south. On 5-6 July, at the freedom of religious of belief ministerial, UK parliamentarians and policymakers were reminded of the fundamental freedom to believe, choose, and practise one’s religion or belief. Survivors of religious persecution also took…
Read more...
Learn more about the FoRB fringe
1 June 2022The culture of any nation is strengthened by civil society groups active in public life. This is especially true in promoting religious freedom or belief. Different faith-based organisations, community groups, and not-for-profit organisations working in this policy area hold local leaders and nation governments to account on commitments made, they provide relief and aid when human rights abuse occurs, and they advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable and forgotten in society. At the freedom of…
Read more...
Persecution survivors deserve to see progress at religious freedom summit
27 May 2022So much has changed in three years. A global pandemic, Brexit and now war breaking out in Eastern Europe. And yet for millions of Christians around the world, little has changed; in fact life is getting worse. Open Doors note that in 2021 more than 360 million Christians around the world suffered significant persecution for their faith. Afghanistan took the number one position this year following the takeover by the Taliban, and the situation in countries such as Malaysia continues to…
Read more...
The Nationality and Borders Act: Now a harsh reality
27 May 2022We at the Evangelical Alliance were engaged from the very beginning, producing a written submission to the consultation and select committees, through to meeting with MPs and Peers as the bill passed through parliament. Read our consultation submission here.
Read more...