Greater Manchester MP and Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner was not in her usual place on the front bench for Prime Minister’s Questions this lunchtime
She was in Rome meeting Pope Francis
Writing on X she said
“I was honoured to be able to greet His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican this morning.
Pope Francis has shown great leadership on addressing the global issues of our time and building bridges of dialogue among faiths.”
She took the opportunity to attend the general audience while in Rome for the annual Pontignano Conference, which will focus on creating opportunities for innovation and collaboration between the UK and Italy. The two-day conference begins tomorrow.
At the end of the general audience, Pope Francis said: “Let us not forget the martyred Ukrainian people, who suffer so much. And let’s also pray for peace in the Holy Land, Palestine, and Israel, where people are also suffering so much.”
The visit is thought to be part of a campaign by the Deputy Prime Minister’s team to raise her international profile
