MPs from across the Commons challenge place of bishops in the Lords

MPs in the House of Commons yesterday called for a government Bill to remove the historic anomaly of 26 bishops voting in the House of Lords. The calls came in a debate on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. Humanists UK, which has campaigned against the presence of religious clerics voting on our laws, and which works for separation of church and state, has naturally welcomed the proposals.

In the debate Andrew Murrison MP (Conservative) asked the Government:

‘Does the Minister recognise that a recent survey of Church of England clergy showed the need to reform the participation of Church of England bishops in our legislature? Will he reflect on that, and on the fact that it looks like we are in danger of having bishops who, instead of focusing their efforts on the cure of souls, are more like mitred politicians? That cannot be good for any of us.’

Sir Gavin Williamson MP (Conservative) said he hopes to try to amend the bill:

‘There is a big opportunity here as well as unfairness and injustice. So many people of so many faiths, and so many people of no faith at all, see the fact there are 26 bishops here… And that this is not reflective of a United Kingdom and not reflective of what this country looks like today. So I will (if the Government is not willing to table an amendment) table an amendment to remove the 26 bishops from the House… to make the upper house a fairer and more reflective chamber.’

Pete Wishart MP (SNP) added:

‘While we can laugh at the hereditaries, the hon. Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare) and other Conservative Members are quite right to point to the ridiculousness of having 26 places reserved for Church of England bishops. We are the only legislature in the world that has places reserved for clerics other than the Islamic Republic of Iran. We can take comfort from the fact that the Archbishop of Canterbury is not going to embark on some sort of religious jihad, but what strange company to keep. If there was an intra-parliamentary union of serving clerics, it would be exclusively comprise Church of England bishops and ayatollahs.’

Ashley Fox MP (Conservative) continued:

‘We are scrutinising the Government’s proposal. That is the job of the Opposition. The Minister said in his opening speech that hereditary peers are indefensible, and I agree, but so is granting 26 bishops the right to vote in our legislature.’

All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group member Ellie Chowns MP (Green) stated:

‘[This Bill] does not tackle several of the other inequalities and inconsistencies in the composition of the House of Lords. Members across this House have highlighted some of those today, such as the presence of the bishops and the appointment of life peers, so while I welcome the Bill, there is huge room for improvement… On the principle of unelected people not making laws, why do we still have bishops? …I challenge the Paymaster General… to take forward the principles of fairness and equality, and to get rid of not just the unfair and unequal hereditary principle, but the unfair and unequal principle of representing certain religions and not others, or of representing any religion.’

Conservative MPs Edward Leigh, Simon Hoare, Richard Holden, Ben Spencer, and James Wild also challenged the place of the bishops. Nick Thomas-Symonds for the Government simply replied by saying ‘The Church has recognised the need for reform, particularly in terms of size, and today’s debate is further evidence of why it is sensible to reform in stages.’

Given the strong cross- party support shown in yesterday’s debate, it is now possible that an amendment to the Hereditary Peers Bill will be put forward which would seek to remove the privilege granted to the 26 bishops.

Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson commented:

‘This reform is centuries overdue. The presence of the Lords Spiritual in Parliament isn’t just a quaint relic from a more religious age, but a real and lasting example of discrimination in favour of one denomination of one religion, in a society where most people today have no religion. The Church of England has consistently used its position in the Lords as a party bloc to vote and rail against LGBT rights, abortion rights, or indeed applying equality and anti-discrimination laws to religious schools.

‘If for whatever reason this amendment doesn’t go ahead, the Government should acknowledge the strength of feeling in both houses for pressing ahead with its plans to overhaul the upper house.’

In 2020, a report from the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group of MPs and peers in Parliament noted that bishops get unique easy access to Government officials, that if a bishop stands up to speak then the convention is that everyone else has to stop and sit down, and that the bishops’ votes on new laws have been decisive in instances that have benefited the Church. 

Removing automatic seats for bishops has overwhelming public support. Debates on this issue have been heightened in recent years as the Church of England’s political stance on civil rights issues has come into conflict with its status as an established religion. Inspired by the Church’s attitude to LGBT equality, Humanists UK patron Sandi Toksvig led a high-profile campaign last year to draw greater attention to the Lords Spiritual.

The Labour Party under Sir Keir Starmer MP previously committed to transitioning the House of Lords to a ‘fully elected’ chamber, which would mean no reserved seats for bishops. However, it has not yet embarked towards removing the bishops.