Portrait of the week | 17 January 2013

Home

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, brought forward his speech on new relations with the European Union from 22 January when it was realised that it was the 50th anniversary of the Elysée treaty between Germany and France. Britain went to war in Mali by sending two transport planes in support of the French invasion directed against Islamist groups. The rights of a British Airways employee, Nadia Eweida, had been violated by her being forbidden to wear a cross at work, the European Court of Human Rights ruled. But a marriage counsellor sacked for saying he might object to giving sex therapy advice to gay couples, a registrar who refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies, and a nurse who wanted to wear a necklace with a cross had not suffered violation of their rights. Liberal Democrat peers joined with the opposition to delay the reduction of MPs by 50 until 2018.