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
Remove bishops from the Lords, NSS tells parliamentary committee
Posted: Mon, 14 Aug 2023 11:56
NSS: Giving 26 seats in House of Lords to bishops shows "institutional favouritism for one religion"
Bishops’ bench “gives democracy a bad name”, MPs hear
Posted: Thu, 6 Jul 2023 15:36
Bishops in the House of Lords give "democracy and bad name", MPs have been told in a debate today.
Scottish National Party MP Tommy Sheppard, who brought the debate forward on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, argued for an end to the "guaranteed and automatic" appointment of Church of England bishops to the 'bishops' bench' in the House of Lords.
The Westminster Hall debate followed recent lobbying from the National Secular Society. The NSS briefed all MPs ahead of the debate.
Two Church of England archbishops and 24 bishops are automatically given guaranteed seats in the upper house.
"Time is right for a review"
Sheppard said there are only two national state legislatures where clerics are automatically guaranteed a place: Iran and UK.
He asked MPs whether they thought the pre-feudal, pre-democracy arrangement of bishops in the Lords is still appropriate in the 21st century in "a country which aspires to be open and democratic", and where most people don't belong to the CofE.
He quoted figures from the British Social Attitudes survey which found 52% of the population are nonreligious and only 12% are Anglican, in addition to the Church's own findings that just 1% of people in England regularly attend Sunday services. But even excluding the bishops, 60% of members of the House of Lords identify as Christian.
He reminded MPs that the bishops' bench is not a mere "ceremonial" function, but that the bishops have "real, effective, political power", with their votes being decisive on many occasions. He noted that they even occupy a privileged place within parliament itself, with protocol dictating that other members of the house give way to bishops during debates.
Sheppard said their influence is "socially conservative" on issues such as same-sex marriage and assisted dying, and "puts the legislature at odds with the public".
He added that the bishops have an inherent conflict of interest, as they are there to "protect and advance" the Church of England, giving it an "unfair advantage".
In answer to questions regarding wider reforms to the House of Lords, Sheppard said the bishops' bench "is a good place to start" as it is not elected and not subject to the same scrutiny as other appointments.
He said the bishops' bench "gives democracy a bad name" and "doesn't do the Church any favours either". He concluded that the "time is right for a review" of the arrangement.
Other SNPs raised concerns about the bishops voting on issues only affecting Scotland, despite the Church being established in England alone.
Responding on behalf of the government, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart MP dismissed the concerns and said the government would not be engaging on the issue.
The bishops' bench is consistently unpopular with the public. A survey last year found over 60% of UK adults think bishops should have no place in parliament. In February writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig launched a petition to remove the bishops from the House of Lords, which received nearly 164,000 signatures.
In March the Commission on Political Power said the bishops are an "anomalous" presence in the House of Lords and recommended their removal in a reformed second chamber.
NSS: bishops' bench "an affront to democracy"
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans, who attended the debate, said: "Today's debate has brought much needed parliamentary scrutiny to the bishops' bench.
"The positively medieval privilege of ex officio seats for 26 Anglican bishops sits in stark contrast to the reality of 21st century Britain where Christianity is no longer a majority religion.
"Ending the automatic right of bishops to sit in the House of Lords is an important and necessary step towards creating a more modern, open and equitable parliament.
"The whole concept of clerics in the legislature as of right is an affront to democracy. Every other western democracy has realised this, it's time we did, too."
The debate was also welcomed by prominent Anglicans who oppose the bishops' bench. Simon Barrow, director the Christian thinktank Ekklesia, said: "If bishops or any other type of cleric wishes to be in a legislative body, they should get there by the same route as anyone else - that is, by election and popular franchise, not as a result of privileging a particular religious body.
"Having faith leaders from one denomination of one religion based in only one of the nations of the UK in an unelected second chamber is particularly inappropriate, unnecessary and anachronistic."
