Twenty-six Anglican bishops are given seats as of right in the House of Lords.
The UK is the only western democracy which reserves seats for clerics in its legislature.
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.
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 1% 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
Suffragettes would “turn in their graves” at the suffering of women under sharia, says peer
Posted: Mon, 30 Jan 2017 11:00
Baroness Cox has launched a fresh attempt to tackle sharia councils operating in the UK and protect women's rights.
Speaking at the second reading of her Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill, Baroness Cox said that "We must not condone situations where rulings are applied which are fundamentally incompatible with the laws, values, principles and policies of our country."
Baroness Cox said that "Muslim women are today suffering in ways in which would make suffragettes turn in their graves" and that the proposals in her legislation, supported by the National Secular Society, were a "lifeline". She thanked the NSS for its support and said the problems were "escalating".
She said the legislation "seeks to address two interrelated issues: the suffering of women oppressed by religiously sanctioned gender discrimination, and a rapidly developing alternative quasi-legal system which undermines the fundamental principle of one law for all."
It was clear that some sharia tribunals operating in the UK were "practising gender discrimination" and she cited several examples of Muslim women who faced immense social pressure to use discriminatory sharia 'courts' and faced immense hardship because they did not have the legal protections of a real marriage recognised by the state.
There were 100,000 "couples in Britain today who are living in Islamic marriages not recognised by English law", Cox said, with women being "duped" into believing these ceremonies were legally valid, only "to find upon divorce they have few to no rights in terms of finance or property."
The position of many Muslim women in "closed communities" led to "enormous pressure" not to seek outside help, Baroness Cox explained, because that is seen as bringing "shame" on the family.
She criticised police and authorities for their reluctance to "take action that might be deemed to give offence" to "leaders of these communities".
Peers from all sides of the House offered their support for the legislation.
Lord Anderson, a Labour peer, warned of the danger of a "parallel jurisdiction developing in this country".
Baroness Falkner, a Liberal Democrat, said the legislation was not an "anti-Muslim bill" but that it might restrict the power of Muslim men over women.
However, Lord Keen, speaking for the Government, said that he "cannot give guarantees of government legislation" on protecting women from discriminatory sharia arbitration and said it was "beyond my pay grade." He said that the Government was still considering the recent Casey report into segregation and the findings of the Home Office's review into sharia law, launched when Theresa May was still Home Secretary.
Baroness Cox said that the Government was "living on a different planet" and that without Government support there will be a delay "during which countless women will continue to suffer".
The bill will now proceed to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House.
Government challenged over treatment of non-religious views in RE lessons
Posted: Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:19
The Government has been challenged in the House of Lords over its approach to the inclusion of non-religious worldviews in religious education.
Lord Taverne, the Liberal Democrat peer and an honorary associate of the National Secular Society, asked the Government to explain why it had "condemned" guidance on the teaching of non-religious worldviews in religious studies.
The guidance, written by Dr Satvinder Juss – a Professor of Law at King's College London, was issued following the High Court's ruling that the Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan had made an "error of law", which could lead to the neglect of non-religious worldviews in secondary schools.
The guidance contradicts the Department for Education's own guidance which states that the ruling "does not affect how schools are teaching religious education".
The Government has argued that the case was won "on a very narrow, technical point" and said that it does not "accept the wider interpretation" offered in the Dr Juss' guidance.
Lord Nash, the schools minister, said that it was "inaccurate" to say that there was a need to balance the teaching of religions "by compulsory and systematic teaching of a non-religious world view to the same extent."
Lord Taverne asked "is it really the Government's view that children should not be encouraged to think critically and make up their own mind and should not be made aware of the views of a very large and growing number of people in this country who do not subscribe to any religion?"
In response the schools minister said that "all six GCSE-awarding bodies' GCSE content includes development of students' understanding of wider beliefs, including a non-religious world view."
He added that "All children should be made aware of the basics of all religions as part of a broad and balanced education. It helps you to respect someone if you understand more about them."
Lib Dem peer Lord Storey asked the minister to reflect on "why, if the Government believe that non-religious beliefs have a full and important place in religious studies, they have moved to encourage schools and those who set syllabuses to ignore a legal judgment that sets out exactly that position?"
Lord Harrison added: "Do the Government not recognise that their advice to schools may in itself contradict the law"
Lord Nash responded that "a much wider interpretation is being made of this narrow judgment than should be".
The schools minister also said that the Government was "looking at what more can be done to strengthen the curriculum to further prepare pupils for life in modern Britain through citizenship, PSHE [and] character education".
The Bishop of Chelmsford, describing himself as a "lapsed atheist", said that he welcomed the study of non-religious worldviews in education. He told the House: "I welcome the place of non-religious world views in religious education; they are very important.
