BISHOPS have said that they might welcome consultation on a “left-field” attempt by a Conservative MP, in an amendment to the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, to abolish the parliamentary seats for the Lords Spiritual.
The Bill, introduced by the Labour MP Pat McFadden in September, seeks to remove the automated membership of hereditaries within the House of Lords. The move to abolish the remaining 92 hereditary peers was promised in Labour’s election manifesto. The Bill had its Second Reading within the Commons last month. The subject was also debated by the Lords in July, shortly after the election (News, 26 July).
Last month, the Conservative MP Sir Gavin Williamson tabled an amendment to the Bill to incorporate a clause that “No-one shall be a member of the House of Lords by virtue of being a bishop or Archbishop of the Church of England.”
Consequential amendments would repeal current laws on the Lords Spiritual, including the Bishoprics Act 1878 and the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015, which is currently being considered for extension (News, 25 October).
“The Government has made the choice to remove one outlier that has change into outdated, they also needs to recognise the undeniable fact that there may be one other great outlier,” Sir Gavin told the web site Politicshome on Tuesday.
“What can justify the Church of England having the appropriate to such legislative power? This is totally out of sync with any modern democracy. It’s frankly improper, and it’s actually quite insulting.”
The Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, responded that not one of the 26 bishops currently sitting within the Lords had been consulted in regards to the amendment. “The proposal to remove the bishops has completely come out of left field,” he told Politicshome on Tuesday. “There’s been no consultation.”
The Lords Spiritual met privately last week to debate the amendment and plan to publish a joint statement on what it proposed, their convener, the Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith, said. “We will proceed to serve while we’re still summoned to Parliament. If there may be a consensus that that isn’t what the country wants, we are going to respond appropriately. We don’t have special privilege.”
He continued: “If there are proposals for reform, we are going to work consistently and supportively with it. At the moment, we imagine we’re capable of make a contribution, so we’re going to proceed to supply that. If Gavin wants to fulfill with me, I’d be delighted to fulfill with him.”
Bishops have been vocal in opposing laws introduced by the previous government, most recently on immigration issues (News, 21 March and 21 July 2023). Dr Smith said that, no matter which party was in power, bishops were present to “engage within the political process. If the General Synod ever tries to inform us what we must tell the federal government, we’re very robust. We are usually not there as a special constituency.”
The recent Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha de Cordova MP (News, 11 October), defended the Lords Spiritual. She told Politicshome: “They scrutinise government laws, which is what the Upper Chamber is there to do, and certainly one of the positive things is that they are usually not partisan. . . To me that’s something we must always be applauding.
“I all the time imagine there will likely be a spot within the Lords for our bishops. I can’t see any space where that wouldn’t be the case.”
