Twenty-six Anglican bishops are given seats as of right in the House of Lords.
This is unfair, undemocratic and undesirable. It's time to abolish the bishops' bench.
Two archbishops and 24 bishops of the Church of England currently have automatic seats in the House of Lords. They are sometimes known as 'the lords spiritual'.
We campaign for a secular upper house with no specific religious representation, whether of Christian denominations or any other faiths. In a secular state no religion or its leaders should have a privileged role in the legislature.
Only one other sovereign country reserves seats in its legislature for clerics: the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Any serious proposals to reform the House of Lords must address the unjustified privilege of the bishops' bench.
62% of Brits think no religious clerics should have an automatic right to seats in the House of Lords.
After over a century of decline in religious attendance in Britain, the claim that bishops — or any other religious representatives — speak for any significant constituency is not warranted. Less than 2% of the British population now attend Anglican services on the average Sunday.
In addition, the presence of religious leaders amounts to double representation of religious interests as many peers already identify themselves as being religiously motivated. Retired religious leaders are often appointed as peers.
Bishops do not have any "special moral insight" unavailable to everybody else. The idea that bishops or any other 'religious leaders' have any monopoly on issues of morality is offensive to many non-religious citizens. Those who profess no religion are no less capable of making moral and ethical judgements.
In an increasingly secular society the role of religious representatives in our legislature has become irrelevant, and has stood in the way of progressive legislation.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Ask your MP to help end the archaic, unfair and undemocratic bishops’ bench in the House of Lords.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join the National Secular Society
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
End bishops’ automatic right to sit in Lords, says peer
Posted: Fri, 25 Jun 2021 08:36
The practice of reserving seats for 26 Church of England bishops in the House of Lords is an "absurd constitutional anomaly" which should end, a peer has argued.
Liberal Democrat peer Dick Taverne made the call in the Westminster publication The House, alongside a piece making the contrary argument from the bishop of Durham.
Taverne argued that the position of Anglican bishops "sets a bad example for democracy" and "increases the influence of the Church of England on our public affairs to a degree which is generally underestimated".
He noted that the bishops receive "special treatment" in the Lords, as they are "entitled to precedence" when they rise to speak and because every sitting is preceded by prayers.
He also said the bishops were "often out of touch with public opinion" on "important moral issues".
He cited the bishops' opposition to the legalisation of assisted dying, which polls suggest is widely supported among the British public, and support for faith schools as examples.
Bill to end bishops' right to sit in Lords
Last year Taverne introduced a bill to parliament which would end the bishops' automatic right to sit in the Lords, and which the National Secular Society helped to draft.
He also explained his case in an episode of the NSS's podcast.
NSS comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans welcomed Taverne's intervention.
"The anachronistic bishops' bench grants the Church of England a privileged position to advance its own interests in parliament. It's absurd that any clerics are given a lawmaking role solely by virtue of their position in the hierarchy of one particular church.
"This archaic arrangement enables a church that has seen unrelenting decline in affiliation for decades to maintain undue influence over our national affairs.
"Ending the bishops' automatic right to sit in parliament would be a welcome step for equality, fairness and democracy."
Polls suggest public support for change
In March 53% of respondents to a YouGov poll said the Lords should not continue to have places for C of E bishops, while just 16% said it should.
In response to another YouGov poll for The Times in 2017, 62% said no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats". Only 8% said the bishops should retain their seats.
Dick Taverne and the bishop of Durham's articles are available on The House section of the PoliticsHome website.
Majority of public opposes places for bishops in Lords, poll finds
Posted: Tue, 23 Mar 2021 09:07
A majority of the British public thinks the House of Lords should stop reserving places for Church of England bishops, a YouGov poll has found.
Fifty-three per cent of respondents to a poll published this week said the Lords should not continue to have places for C of E bishops.
Just 16% said it should, with 31% saying they didn't know.
The poll also showed majorities of Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat voters, and majorities of Remain and Leave voters, all agreed on the topic.
26 places reserved
Twenty-six places in the Lords are reserved for C of E bishops and archbishops as of right. The National Secular Society argues for the end of this practice, as part of its campaigning to separate church and state.
Last year the NSS helped to draft a bill to end C of E bishops' automatic right to sit in the Lords, which was introduced by Liberal Democrat peer Dick Taverne.
In response to another YouGov poll for The Times in 2017, 62% said no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats". Only 8% said the bishops should retain their seats.
NSS comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "Giving Anglican clerics an automatic role in running the country is an unjustifiable privilege that undermines the principle of equal citizenship.
"Their proximity to political power also puts those who oppose the church's positions at a democratic disadvantage.
"Any plans to reform the House of Lords must include the abolition of the anachronistic bench of bishops. This poll suggests there would be substantial public support for that."
Notes
- The C of E's two archbishops and 24 of its other diocesan bishops make up the 'lords spiritual' in parliament. Religious leaders have sat as the lords spiritual since the 14th century.
- Iran is the only legislature in the world other than the UK which gives unelected clerics automatic representation.
Read more: The bishops' bench is an affront to democracy. Let's scrap it, by Stephen Evans
