Sandi Toksvig starts petition to remove bishops from Lords

Writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig has launched a petition to remove the bishops appointed to the House of Lords.

The petition, launched today on Change.org, calls for "the removal the Church Of England's privilege to appoint bishops into the House of Lords, and remove existing bishops currently sitting in the House of Lords".

As a result of the Church of England's established status, two of its archbishops and 24 currently are assigned seats as of right in the House of Lords (the 'bishops' bench').

Less than 1% of the population in England regularly attend CofE church services.

In a video on Twitter accompanying the petition (pictured), Toksvig said: "There are only two countries in the world where representatives of the state religion automatically get a seat in the legislature. They are the UK and Iran.

"A curious and indeed uncomfortable club of two to belong to."

She also commented on the bishops' opposition to legalising same-sex marriage, and the Church's exemptions from equality law which allow them to discriminate against LGBT people and women.

She added: "Of course everyone in there is entirely free to think as they please. What they should not be allowed to do is to hold sway in our House, the Houses of Parliament.

"It doesn't matter what your faith is, or even isn't, it's discriminatory and it has to stop."

Toksvig has been one of the Church's most prominent critics since archbishop Justin Welby reaffirmed the CofE's opposition to same-sex relationships in August.

She said in an open letter to Welby that the lives of LGBT+ people are at stake, pointing to higher rates of suicide among LGBT+ young people and the death threats she had received from evangelical Christians.

Following a meeting with Welby last month to discuss the issue, she concluded: "It was very clear that opposing factions of the worldwide Anglican Communion are being, in part, held together at the expense of the human rights of the LGBT+ community".

Welby is reported to have said he would "rather see the Church of England lose its privileged status" as the established church than split the Anglican communion over the issue of same-sex marriage. The comments are said to have been made in a private meeting between the archbishop and a number of MPs.

NSS 'fully supports' petition

NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "We fully support Sandi Toksvig's message and her petition to remove the bishops from the House of Lords.

"We've long argued the Church's unjust and unfair privileges should be removed.

"And now, with Christians being a minority in England and Wales, and the Church growing increasingly out-of-step on social issues, the need to end the Church's privileged place in parliament is more crucial than ever.

"As Sandi Toksvig herself said: Iran and the UK - time to make that a club of one."

You can sign Sandi Toksvig's petition here. Please also send a letter to your MP calling for the removal of the bishops.

We are holding a free event on separation of church and state this February - click here for more information and to book your place.