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
Bill to end bishops’ automatic right to sit in Lords introduced
Posted: Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:28
A bill to end the automatic right of Anglican bishops to sit in the House of Lords, which the National Secular Society helped to draft, has been introduced to parliament.
Liberal Democrat peer and NSS honorary associate Dick Taverne introduced the House of Lords (Removal of Bishops) Bill on Tuesday.
The private member's bill would end the practice whereby 26 places in the House of Lords are reserved for the Church of England's bishops and archbishops.
In response NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "The fact that 26 Church of England bishops are afforded an automatic right to sit in the House of Lords is unjustifiable.
"Giving representatives of one religion a privileged position in the legislature undermines the principle of equal citizenship and puts those who oppose the church's positions at a disadvantage in the democratic process.
"Dick Taverne's bill would strike a blow for fairness, equality and democracy, and we urge parliamentarians to show their support for it."
The NSS also urged supporters to write to their MPs to encourage them to show support for the bill.
Dick Taverne said: "One of the great achievements of the enlightenment was the separation of church and state. Theocracies in which religion is still part of the state – hardly shining examples of democracy and the protection human rights – show how important this achievement was.
"Although the bishops are liberal minded by comparison, the influence of the Church of England, despite the steep and ongoing decline in the number of Anglicans, should not be underestimated.
"And the separation of church and state is far from complete in the UK. The continued presence of bishops in the Lords is an anachronism that should be addressed."
Notes
- The C of E's two archbishops and 24 of its other diocesan bishops sit in the Lords as the 'lords spiritual'. Religious leaders have sat as the lords spiritual since the 14th century.
- In response to a YouGov poll for The Times, published in 2017, 62% of people said no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats" in the legislature. Only 8% said the bishops should retain their seats.
- Iran is the only legislature in the world other than the UK which gives unelected clerics automatic representation.
- The NSS campaigns for the end of bishops' automatic right to sit in the Lords as part of its work to separate religion and state.
- The bill was entered in the Lords ballot for private members' bills to be heard during the new parliament in December.
- This week it was announced that the bishop of Blackburn, Julian Henderson, would become the latest member of the lords spiritual on 6 February.
See also: Separation of church and state is far from complete in the House of Lords, by Dick Taverne for Politics Home.
Watch: House of Lords (Removal of Bishops) Bill is introduced
Peer proposes bill to abolish bishops’ bench in House of Lords
Posted: Fri, 20 Dec 2019 14:22
The National Secular Society is backing a private member's bill which would end the automatic right of Church of England bishops to sit in the House of Lords.
Liberal Democrat peer Dick Taverne, an NSS honorary associate, has presented a bill which would end C of E bishops' automatic right to sit as legislators. The bill was drafted with NSS assistance.
Currently 26 C of E bishops are entitled to sit in the Lords owing to their positions in the established church, as the 'lords spiritual', under an arrangement dating back to the 14th century.
The Taverne bill was entered in the Lords ballot for private members' bills to be heard in the new parliament on Friday. It is due to be introduced on Tuesday 28 January.
In response NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "The need to reduce the size of and reform the upper chamber is well recognised, and removing the bishops' bench is an obvious place to start.
"Ending the arrangement whereby representatives of one religious denomination are given seats as of right would make for a more equitable and democratic House of Lords.
"Giving clerics the automatic right to sit in parliament is an affront to democracy and a medieval practice unfit for a modern legislature."
The NSS campaigns for the scrapping of the bishops' bench as part of its work to separate religion and state.
Dick Taverne commented: "One of the great achievements of the enlightenment was the separation of church and state. Theocracies in which religion is still part of the state – hardly shining examples of democracy and the protection human rights – show how important this achievement was.
"Although the bishops are liberal minded by comparison, the influence of the Church of England, despite the steep and ongoing decline in the number of Anglicans, should not be underestimated.
"And the separation of church and state is far from complete in the UK. The continued presence of bishops in the Lords is an anachronism that should be addressed."
Notes
- In response to a YouGov poll for The Times, published in 2017, 62% of people said no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats" in the legislature. Only 8% said the bishops should retain their seats.
- Iran is the only legislature in the world other than the UK which gives unelected clerics automatic representation in its legislature.
- The 26 bishops who sit in the Lords include the Church of England's two archbishops and 24 of its other diocesan bishops.
