Debate on Bishops in the House of Lords

A general debate has been scheduled in Westminster Hall for Thursday 6 July 2023, on Bishops in the House of Lords. The subject for the debate has been chosen by the Backbench Business Committee, and the debate will be opened by Tommy Sheppard MP.

Mr Sheppard told the Backbench Business Committee that the debate would be wide-ranging (PDF), covering:

• The role of the House of Lords and its place in the constitution
• Whether the Church of England should remain the established church

Aaron Bell, who supported the application for a debate, said that bishops had been “intervening quite pointedly in politics recently”.

Tommy Sheppard and Aaron Bell are chair and secretary, respectively, of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group.