A government minister has issued a lower than full-throated defence of the normal parliamentary practice of prayers in the beginning of the day.
Each day parliamentary business begins with prayers, in practice this is commonly used as a method for members of Parliament to order a seat within the chamber.
Lucy Powell MP, who serves as Leader of the House of Commons, said that the tradition would remain in place, noting that Parliament is connected to the established Church of England and that this historic connection is “form of necessary”.
Her decision was criticised by Humanists UK, who said that the tradition was unfair to MPs who usually are not members of the Church of England, even going to this point as to say such members were at a “democratic drawback”.
Powell noted that MPs who’re committee members are still in a position to reserve a seat within the chamber without resorting to prayers. Humanists UK claimed this was still unfair to those parliamentarians who’re neither on committees nor within the Church of England.
Previously there have been calls to abolish the practice of prayers in 2023. At the time Sir Gary Streeter MP, as chair of the Christians in Parliament group, dismissed the suggestion, saying, “The crux of the argument for abolishing Parliamentary Prayers is that by taking all references to religion and God out of politics and public life, we are going to then have a really neutral public square.
“However, that might just be to exchange one worldview and set of beliefs with one other … For lots of of years prayer has been an element of Parliamentary proceedings, and thus provides a link with the past and the best way Parliament has evolved. We shouldn’t be too quick to abolish our traditions and heritage.”
 A government minister has issued a lower than full-throated defence of the normal parliamentary practice of prayers in the beginning of the day....){kind=link}