MP requires bishops to lose seats in Lords after repeated clashes with governme

Bishops threat turning into “politicians that wear mitres” after repeatedly clashing with the federal government over migration legal guidelines, MPs warned.

Peers inflicted 20 defeats on the federal government over its deportation plans with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby main the assaults.

Some 26 seats within the House of Lords are reserved for Church of England bishops.

Conservative MP Chris Loder instructed it was “damaging” for senior Anglican clergymen to turn out to be embroiled in political debates.

In a Westminster Hall debate on whether or not bishops ought to be assured locations within the higher chamber,  he mentioned the church had “a critical role” to play in bringing individuals collectively.

He added: “I think we need to just reflect on that when we start to hear from Members of the House of Lords, who are bishops, their very clear political view.”

The Conservative MP, who’s a church warden at a parish in his West Dorset constituency, went on: “For me, we are increasingly seeing bishops in the Church of England becoming politicians that wear mitres.

“That is a decision indeed for the Church of England, that is a decision in many ways for individual bishops. But I just want to contribute to this debate by saying I think that is a very damaging thing for the Church of England to do.”

The debate was led by SNP MP Tommy Sheppard, who chairs the humanist all-party parliamentary group, and believes it’s unfair that the Church of England has a assured position in Parliament.

He mentioned: “I don’t think people should be represented in the Lords on the basis of their religious beliefs at all.

“We should have a secular legislature where people are either elected, or if they are appointed, they are appointed because of their expertise in general.”

Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart instructed MPs reform of the House of Lords to take away the bishops was “not something that the Government will be engaging in”.

A spokesman for the Church of England mentioned bishops who serve within the House of Lords present “an independent, non-partisan voice in parliamentary debates, bringing an ethical and spiritual perspective that is also informed by their roles as key figures in local civil society”.