MPs reject bid to remove Church of England bishops from House of Lords

MPs person defeated an effort to region Church of England bishops from the House of Lords, amid suggestions they should absorption connected ecclesiastical matters alternatively than trying to “run our country”.

Conservative erstwhile curate Sir Gavin Williamson argued it is “fundamentally unfair” to person a “block of clerics that person a close and a accidental implicit our legislation, implicit the mode that my constituents live” successful the precocious chamber.

But his amendment to the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, designed to forestall the Church of England bishops from being members of the Lords, was rejected by 378 votes to 41, bulk 337.

The part database showed of the Tory MPs who took portion successful the vote, 15 voted successful favour of the amendment and 18 against.

Conservative erstwhile curate Andrew Murrison, who supported the amendment, told the debate: “I’m a practising Anglican and I worth the views of bishops, of people I do, but it’s simply not close to person them being politicians successful canine collars, I would say, mostly propagating a left-liberal worldview.

“I would overmuch alternatively that they were successful their diocese engaged successful the cure of souls. That’s wherever I privation to spot them arsenic an Anglican.”

SNP MP Pete Wishart (Perth and Kinross-shire) besides suggested the bishops “stick to their ministries”, telling the Commons: “Wouldn’t they beryllium amended deployed successful dealing with immoderate of the things that we’ve seen successful the quality (over) the people of the past fewer days, acold little concerning themselves with this effort to tally our country.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigned connected Tuesday aft days of unit pursuing a damning study into maltreatment cover-up, saying his determination was successful the champion interests of the Church of England.

An autarkic reappraisal had concluded John Smyth, the astir prolific serial abuser to beryllium associated with the church, mightiness person been brought to justness had the archbishop formally reported him to constabulary a decennary ago.

The Bill arsenic a full is focused connected delivering Labour’s committedness to bring astir an “immediate modernisation” to the Lords by abolishing the 92 seats reserved for peers who are determination by close of birth.

Labour’s manifesto besides said it would enforce a status property of 80 connected members of the Lords astatine a aboriginal date.

The Government has yet to outline a timeline for further changes, including its semipermanent ambition for an “alternative 2nd enclosure that is much typical of the regions and nations”.

Previous attempts to betterment the different spot erstwhile it’s been done each successful 1 spell person failed

Cabinet Office curate Ellie Reeves

Speaking up of the vote, Sir Gavin (Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge) told the Commons: “It is fundamentally unfair that we inactive person a concern wherever you person a artifact of clerics that person a close and a accidental implicit our legislation, implicit the mode that my constituents live.”

He added: “For me, arsenic idiosyncratic who is an Anglican, I cannot spot wherefore I person a greater close for greater practice than my children who are Catholics.”

Sir Gavin continued: “You person those 26 bishops. They don’t travel from each constituent portion of the United Kingdom. They don’t travel from Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. They lone travel from England. The creation of those bishops is astir apt not reflective of today’s world.”

Cabinet Office curate Ellie Reeves earlier said erstwhile attempts astatine reforming the House of Lords “all successful 1 go” person failed, arsenic she defended the Government’s determination to instrumentality an “immediate archetypal step” to region hereditary peers.

This came successful effect to Sir Gavin questioning wherefore Labour had not been “more bold” successful its approach.

Ms Reeves replied: “Previous attempts to betterment the different spot erstwhile it’s been done each successful 1 spell person failed, we privation to spot contiguous betterment to the different place, which is wherefore we are getting connected with this consecutive away, an contiguous reform, and past we tin prosecute and consult astir however champion to present the outer reform, which we person acceptable retired intelligibly successful our manifesto.”

Also intervening, Conservative MP Sir Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) said helium is “slightly cynical that you volition ever bring guardant immoderate aboriginal signifier and possibly the solution is to hold commencement until you bring guardant those proposals”.

Ms Reeves replied: “Those connected the benches other had 14 years to bring astir betterment of the House of Lords if that’s what they wanted to do, but alas not. Instead, this Government is taking an contiguous archetypal measurement connected the roadworthy to reform.”

We cognize however hard truthful galore hereditaries person worked, however overmuch they person contributed

Lord Dobbs

The Bill is expected to wide the Commons connected Tuesday and volition past acquisition further scrutiny successful the Lords wherever it could look stiffer resistance.

During a statement connected Lords betterment connected Tuesday, Conservative adjacent Lord Dobbs, known for penning the House Of Cards trilogy, branded the removal of hereditary peers arsenic “constitutional clickbait” and said Labour was coming crossed arsenic “narrow-minded and vindictive”.

He told peers: “We cognize however hard truthful galore hereditaries person worked, however overmuch they person contributed.

“Yet, astatine the moment, the Government proposes to chopped disconnected their noble bells and balls and formed their bodies into the ditch arsenic though they were blameworthy of immoderate large idiosyncratic wickedness – not truthful overmuch the Salisbury Convention arsenic the Cromwell Convention.”