Tags: House of Lords
Peer proposes bill to abolish bishops’ bench in House of Lords
Posted: Fri, 20 Dec 2019
The NSS 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. Read More »
Bishops’ place in Lords must be reviewed, say MPs
Posted: Mon, 19 Nov 2018
A committee of MPs has said the number of bishops in the House of Lords should be reviewed as part of proposals for Lords reform. Read More »
Lords committee: respect the law before “the values of others”
Posted: Thu, 19 Apr 2018
Public policy must put "respect for the law" before "respect for the values of others" and defend "the shared values of British citizenship", a House of Lords committee has said.
In a report published yesterday, the Lords select committee on citizenship and... Read More »
Lords committee proposals would hand bishops more power
Posted: Wed, 01 Nov 2017
Newly-published proposals to reform the House of Lords would see Church of England bishops given more power. Read More »
Abolish Bishops’ Bench to reduce the size of the House of Lords
Posted: Tue, 21 Feb 2017
The National Secular Society has recommended the removal of the Bishops' Bench to a parliamentary inquiry into how to reduce the size of the bloated House of Lords. Read More »
Suffragettes would “turn in their graves” at the suffering of women under sharia, says peer
Posted: Mon, 30 Jan 2017
Baroness Cox has launched a fresh attempt to tackle sharia councils operating in the UK and protect women's rights. Read More »
Government challenged over treatment of non-religious views in RE lessons
Posted: Thu, 30 Jun 2016
The Government has been challenged in the House of Lords over its approach to the inclusion of non-religious worldviews in religious education. Read More »
Petition to remove bishops from the House of Lords gains over 10,000 signatures
Posted: Fri, 22 Jan 2016
A petition to remove Church of England bishops from the House of Lords has gained over 10,000 signatures in the space of a week – meaning it will now receive a response from the government. Read More »
Lords’ wrecking amendments to equal marriage bill fail
Posted: Tue, 25 Jun 2013
This week saw the conclusion of the House of Lords' debate on the equal marriage bill in its committee stage. All those amendments seeking to wreck the bill were either defeated or withdrawn. Read More »
Secularism defended during Lords debate on religion
Posted: Fri, 23 Nov 2012
The Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Falkner has given a spirited defence of secularism during an otherwise largely deferential debate about the role of religion in public life. Read More »
Bishops come under fire but Lords Reform now looks a distant prospect
Posted: Wed, 11 Jul 2012
An attempt by the Government to reform the House of Lords looks doomed after 91 Conservative MPs defied their party whip this week and voted against plans for a mainly elected second chamber. During the two day debate there was much criticism of the plans to retain the bench of Church of England bishops. Read More »
Lords Reform Bill fails to remove religious privilege
Posted: Wed, 27 Jun 2012
Church of England Bishops will retain reserved seats in the House of Lords according to proposals published today by the Deputy Prime Minister. Read More »
Increased religious representation in the House of Lords would be a disaster
Posted: Mon, 23 Apr 2012
The suggestion from the House of Lords Reform Committee that representatives from "all major faiths" should be appointed to a reformed second chamber will not create the intended diversity but risks turning the Upper House into a religious battleground. Read More »
Lords Reform Committee to recommend retention of the bishops' bench
Posted: Wed, 28 Mar 2012
According to a BBC report, recommendations from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on House of Lord Reform due to be published in April will include keeping the Bishops' Bench but reducing the number from 26 to 12. Read More »
Majority of Britons want bishops out of the House of Lords
Posted: Tue, 31 Jan 2012
A Yougov poll for the Sunday Times has revealed that the majority of people in this country do not think Church of England bishops should be entitled to sit in the House of Lords. Read More »
Archbishop pleads for the retention of the bishops’ bench in Lords
Posted: Fri, 02 Dec 2011
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, this week appeared before the parliamentary committee looking into reform of the House of Lords arguing for the retention of the bishops' bench. Read More »
Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas and archbishops don’t vote for an elected second chamber
Posted: Fri, 18 Nov 2011
In a response to the Government's consultation on its proposals to reform the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have argued that the bench of bishops should remain and should be joined by senior members of other religions. Read More »
Peers attack Christian Institute for lies about sex education proposals
Posted: Fri, 11 Nov 2011
Two peers have condemned a "cruel" and "vicious" campaign against them by the Christian Institute which claimed they wanted to make personal, social and health education (PSHE) compulsory for five-year-olds. This includes education about sex and relationships.... Read More »
