On 15th September 2026, the House of Lords debated the Financial Services and Markets Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part.
Votes: Financial Services and Markets Bill
Bishop of Hereford asks about sustainability of rural economies
The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on the sustainability of rural economies during a discussion on the government’s home building target on 15th September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, many villages are increasingly unable to retain young families, agricultural workers and other key members of the rural workforce because of a shortage of affordable homes. As the Government pursue their housebuilding target, how will they ensure that rural communities remain sustainable local economies, rather than becoming places local people are priced out of?
Continue reading “Bishop of Hereford asks about sustainability of rural economies”Bishop of Chelmsford asks about impact of changes to VAT on church buildings
The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 15th September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made on the impact of changing the recoverability of VAT on the repair and reuse of heritage buildings, including churches, and in particular the viability of converting heritage buildings to appropriate housing.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about impact of changes to VAT on church buildings”Bishop of Sheffield asks about impact of draft immigration legislation on children’s rights
The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 15th September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 28 July (HL2268), what is the anticipated timeline for the publication of a standalone bill level Child’s Rights Impact Assessment analysing the impact of measures in the draft Immigration and Asylum Bill against the UN Convention on Rights of a Child.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about impact of draft immigration legislation on children’s rights”Representation of the People Bill: Bishop of Hereford raises threat of AI deepfakes
The Bishop of Hereford also spoke at the second reading of the Representation of the People Bill on 14th September 2026, raising the issue of technological deepfakes being used to undermine the democratic process:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I join a number of noble Lords who have raised the issue of deepfakes in electoral campaigning. I am pleased to be supported in this by my right reverend friend the Bishop of Leicester, who is, unfortunately, unable to be here today. It is regrettable that the Bill does not address the growing challenge to our democracy posed by deepfakes. Democracy depends not only upon the integrity of our electoral processes but upon the integrity of the information environment in which those processes operate, as the noble Lord, Lord Sahota, powerfully reminded us. Voters must be able to know when political content has been generated or materially altered by artificial intelligence. Without that assurance, it becomes harder for citizens to distinguish truth from fabrication, and easier for bad actors to manipulate democratic debate.
Deepfakes pose a distinct challenge to our democracy because they erode the trust on which democratic life depends. They diminish confidence in what voters see and hear, weakening our shared basis for public deliberative discourse. Ofcom research from 2024 found that 57% of respondents were concerned about the impact of deepfakes during the general election; almost half reported that they did not know if they had seen one in the previous week, and a quarter reported that they had.
Continue reading “Representation of the People Bill: Bishop of Hereford raises threat of AI deepfakes”Representation of the People Bill: Bishop of Lichfield makes final speech in the Lords
The Bishop of Lichfield gave his valedictory speech at the second reading of the Representation of the People Bill on 14th September 2026, on the role of the Church in civic engagement and the contributions of faith communities to democracy:
The Lord Bishop of Lichfield: My Lords, this is an important and timely debate, as any opportunity to re-establish trust in politics is one that we must embrace eagerly. We are sadly familiar with the phrase, “A plague on both your houses”, used in a political context. The word “both” may be rather out of date, but the sentiment expressed encapsulates the frustration that many voters feel with the entire political system, thus overlooking many principled, honest and hard-working MPs, Peers and their staff.
I will mention two points in particular. First, in my visits to prisons, I meet many men with time to think and to think deeply. Most people come to serve their sentence in prison only after a string of failures: personal failures and the failures of services, systems and institutions, including the Church. To have that direct and painful experience of system failure and yet, through disenfranchisement, to have no means to participate in efforts for their correction or renewal, can further erode any sense of civic engagement and belonging. I hope that this House will consider whether votes might be extended to at least some convicted prisoners as one dimension of the penal journey to rehabilitation.
Continue reading “Representation of the People Bill: Bishop of Lichfield makes final speech in the Lords”Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill: Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich speaks at second reading
The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich spoke at the second reading of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill on 11th September 2026, requesting clarification on how the principles of restorative justice would be integrated into youth criminal justice:
The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I was encouraged by the Government’s White Paper on youth crime, which highlighted the relationship between complex needs and the experiences of youth justice. However, the increasing prevalence of such needs underscores the necessity of retaining the specialist expertise of the Youth Justice Board.
In my own diocese, I have seen how those needs can draw children into crime; for example, through county lines. Many young people who come into contact with these networks are not simply offenders but often victims of exploitation and trauma. This is particularly true for Suffolk’s looked-after children and care leavers, who are at much greater risk of poor mental health and social exclusion, and are over-represented in the justice system. County lines activity provides a clear example of the importance of meeting complex needs with specialist expertise. The Youth Justice Board has long held this unique expertise, championing a child-first approach which prioritises prevention and safeguarding. We should therefore be cautious about transferring significant functions away from it.
Continue reading “Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill: Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich speaks at second reading”Bishop of Sheffield asks about water regulation
The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 11th September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 30 June (HL1196), what steps they are taking to encourage citizen science and public observations of real-time environmental changes to monitor water management and flood risk.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about water regulation”Bishop of Sheffield asks about support for internally displaced people
The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answer on 11th September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 7 July (HL1510), what steps they are taking to collaborate with faith-based international partners to help civilians who have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and disaster.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about support for internally displaced people”Bishop of Chester asks about sustainability of Jodrell Bank Observatory
The Bishop of Chester asked a question on the long-term stability of the Jodrell Bank Observatory in his diocese on 10th September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, I declare the interest that Jodrell Bank is in my diocese, and we are rightly proud of the work done there, not least in releasing young scientists. What principles are His Majesty’s Government using in reviewing these projects, particularly in the communication of those reviews, in order that long-term stability might be prioritised?
Continue reading “Bishop of Chester asks about sustainability of Jodrell Bank Observatory”
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