Harriet Harman tables amendment to abolish bishops’ bench

Labour peer Harriet Harman has tabled an amendment to the Hereditary Peers Bill which would remove the 26 seats automatically granted to Church of England bishops.

If passed, the amendment would commit the Government to setting out proposals "to remove the membership of the Lords Spiritual from the House of Lords" within two years.

Describing the presence of bishops as an "anachronism", Harman clarified it would still be possible to appoint bishops to the Lords under the "usual appointment processes".

Harman's amendment is also backed by Liberal Democrat peer Paul Scriven and crossbench peer John Birt. Earlier this year, Birt described reserved seats for Anglican bishops as "indefensible" and a "feudal legacy".

The Hereditary Peers Bill is now at committee stage in the House of Lords, having been passed by the Commons last year. In November, a similar effort to abolish the bishops' bench supported by the National Secular Society was rejected by MPs.

Other amendments targeting the bishops' bench have been tabled by Douglas Hogg and David Maclean. Maclean's amendment would limit the number of CofE bishops to five, and would introduce a requirement to give seats to five other faith representatives appointed by other Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups.

The NSS has long warned against any moves towards a 'multifaith bench', as it would be both unworkable and add further division and religious interference to Parliament.

NSS: Privilege of bishops' bench shows "disregard" for diverse public

National Secular Society spokesperson Jack Rivington said: "Giving automatic seats in the legislature to Church of England bishops is unfair, undemocratic, and disregards the irreligiosity and religious diversity of the British public.

"With Christians now a minority, and less than 2% of the population attending regular C of E services, the bishops' continued presence is a hangover from a different age.

"Aside from the UK, just one other sovereign state reserves seats for clerics in its legislature –the theocratic regime of Iran. The Government should prioritise leaving this shameful club of two."