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
Cut bishop numbers in Lords, says panel chair, following NSS criticism
Posted: Mon, 6 Nov 2017 15:53
The chair of a House of Lords committee has said the number of bishops in the Lords should fall after the National Secular Society criticised its proposals for reform.
Lord Burns, who chairs the Lord Speaker's committee on the size of the House, told the Sunday Telegraph the committee favoured a reduction. He said it had excluded the measure from a report last week because it would have been a "distraction".
The committee, which had members from all parties and the crossbenches, said the Lords should be reduced to 600 members and its size capped at that number. It only suggested changes which would not require legislation after the Government ruled out passing it. It did not consider recommending reducing the number of bishops in the Lords, as the measure was outside its remit.
The NSS criticised the proposals on the basis they would hand bishops more power.
This weekend Lord Burns told the Sunday Telegraph he accepted the number of bishops in House of Lords should be cut in line with that of ordinary peers.
"The underlying view of the committee was it would be better if there was a reduction in numbers," he said. However, he added: "whether there are 26 bishops or 16 bishops does not change the nature of this House. There's plenty of time for that.
"The most important thing is to get the major structure in place. We can then worry about some of the other issues at a later point.
"It's slightly anomalous that the result of this will be that the share of the bishops is larger, the share of the hereditaries is larger, but we can live with that, certainly for a period."
In response NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans said: "The Church of England's privileged power to shape UK legislation needs to be curtailed, and sooner rather than later.
"It is unclear why reducing the number of bishops would be a distraction, why this issue should wait for a later date, or why an increase in the bishops' power can be tolerated for a period. Lord Burns's defensive language appears designed to obfuscate the issue.
"And the power to take significant action lies with the Government. A meaningful public debate on the bishops' place in the Lords is overdue, and should conclude with the decision to remove their automatic right to sit in the UK parliament."
In its submission to the inquiry earlier this year the NSS urged the Committee to consider entirely removing the Bishops' Bench and ending the arrangement whereby religious representatives are given seats as of right. It argued that the bench is "an anomaly in a modern, liberal democracy and if a need to reduce the size of the chamber has been identified the Bishops' Bench is an obvious place to start".
A Church of England spokesman said David Urquhart, the Bishop of Birmingham and convenor of the Lords Spiritual, had "warmly welcomed" the report as "a clear way forward for dealing with the problem of the size of the House of Lords".
Bishop Urquhart "has said that bishops would not be averse to discussing the issue in principle", but "ultimately it is for Parliament to decide what shape reform of the Lords should take, and what the role of the bishops is within that".
A poll commissioned in 2010 by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust found that 74% of the population – including 70% of Christians – believe it is wrong that some Church of England bishops are given an automatic seat in the House of Lords.
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Lords committee proposals would hand bishops more power
Posted: Wed, 1 Nov 2017 15:26
Newly-published proposals to reform the House of Lords would see Church of England bishops given more power.
On Tuesday the Lord Speaker's committee on the size of the House of Lords recommended the House be reduced to 600 members, and its size capped at that number. A 'two-out, one-in' programme of departures would reduce the House's size until it reached the target of 600.
The committee, which was chaired by Lord Burns and had members from all parties and the crossbenches, only recommended changes which would not require legislation. It did not consider recommending reducing the number of Bishops in the Lords, as the measure was outside its remit.
The UK is unique among Western democracies in giving representatives of religious groups automatic seats in its legislature: 26 Church of England bishops sit in the Lords as of right. The National Secular Society has long called for the removal of this right.
If the bishops retain their role while the number of other Lords is reduced, their votes will carry more weight. Over 800 Lords currently sit in the House.
In a written submission to the Lord Speaker's committee earlier this year, the NSS recommended the removal of the Bishops' Bench, calling it an "anomaly" in a modern, liberal democracy.
NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans said he was "alarmed" by the implications of the proposed changes.
"There may be perfectly reasonable arguments for a general reduction in the size of the Lords. But any proposals for Lords reform must consider the full impact of the measures being suggested. That means the justification – or lack of it – behind everyone's place in the House must be examined.
"Inertia and a refusal to legislate are not good enough reasons to give the bishops even more political power than they currently have.
"Ultimately the bishops' place in the UK parliament should be ended, not extended. Challenging the Church of England's unjust and unjustifiable religious privilege cannot stay in the 'too difficult' department forever."
The NSS has also criticised the bishops' regressive stance on issues such as the ordination of female Bishops, same-sex marriage and the decriminalisation of assisted suicide. Last year the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said longer-standing members considered the Bishops' Bench "the most orthodox since WWII".
Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker who set up the committee, welcomed the proposals. "This is the House of Lords reforming itself," he said. "It is being done without the benefit of legislation and relies on the agreement of members of the House."
Lord Burns said the committee had "proposed a radical yet achievable solution to the excessive size of the House of Lords".
The proposals could be delivered with the agreement of the House of Lords and the Prime Minister, provided major parties are willing to cooperate to reduce their members.
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