British foreign secretary Liz Truss, who is aggressively setting out her stall to be her country’s next Prime Minister , has made freedom of religious practice a central tenet of the UK’s foreign policy.

So far she has not commented on the Indian government’s decision not to renew the foreign-funding licence for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity but the news has been widely reported in the British media.

The BBC said: “The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to squeeze foreign funding for charities and other NGOs based in India…There have also been several attacks on religious minorities across India.”

According to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, “The foreign secretary sees freedom of religion or belief as a key part of the UK’s foreign policy and development agenda”. It has announced that the foreign office will hold a global summit on July 5 and 6 in London “to promote freedom of religion or belief”.

Truss said: “I want all people, everywhere, to be free from discrimination and persecution regardless of their opinions and beliefs.”