The Church of England in Parliament

Conduct of Undercover Policing and Surveillance Operatives Bill: Bishop of Newcastle speaks on importance of ethics in police work

The Bishop of Newcastle spoke at the second reading of the Conduct of Undercover Policing and Surveillance Operatives Bill on 17th July 2026, emphasising the importance of trust and ethics in police work:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, for bringing this Bill before your Lordships’ House. It is an honour to follow the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, in this debate. I acknowledge the contributions from your Lordships who have drawn on their expertise and experience, which is far beyond my own.

Before turning to the substance of the Bill, which I support, I wish to acknowledge the extraordinary service that our police officers give to this country. In doing so, I pay tribute to PC Jess Turnbull of Northumbria Police, who tragically died in the line of duty at just 19 years of age. Her funeral was held in Newcastle Cathedral last Friday. We continue to hold her family, friends and colleagues in our thoughts and prayers, giving thanks for her life and her willingness to serve others at such a young age. Her death reminds us that policing is a vocation of public service, often carried out at great personal cost. It is in that spirit that I approach the Bill.

Genocide Determination Bill: Bishop of Newcastle speaks in support of legislation

On 17th July 2026, the Bishop of Newcastle spoke at the second reading of the Genocide Determination Bill, expressing her support for the bill and the principle of the equal worth of human lives:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton of Liverpool, for introducing this Bill, which I support, and for his unwavering commitment over many years to the prevention of genocide, the protection of persecuted communities and the advancement of human rights.

At the heart of the Bill lies a simple yet profound principle that every human life possesses equal and inherent worth. There is a clear inconsistency in our present arrangements. Successive Governments have rightly maintained that genocide is a matter for a competent court. However, in practice, the international courts capable of making such determinations are not always able to do so because of jurisdictional limitations or political deadlock. The result is that credible allegations of the gravest crime recognised in international law may never receive judicial determination. The noble Lord, Lord Wills, made this point compellingly in his speech.

Bishop of Peterborough asks about impact of increase in mental health conditions on education

The Bishop of Peterborough received the following written answer on 17th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increasing rates of probable mental health conditions among young people on academic attendance and attainment in England.

Bishop of Southwark gives valedictory speech on importance of humanitarian law and human presence in conflict

The Bishop of Southwark gave his valedictory speech in a debate on the future capability of the armed forces on 16th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Harlech, for bringing this debate. Let me begin my valedictory address by making it clear that it is not my intention to advise His Majesty’s Government on the number of dreadnought battleships they should be laying down or what the future of the Blue Streak missile programme should be. I wish to address some wider issues that I believe are directly relevant to our future capability and which arise out of our current situation.

Quoting from the Global Peace Index 2026, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Norwich reminded the House during a debate on the Armed Forces Bill on 6 July that

“the world has continued its longstanding trajectory of deteriorating peacefulness”.

Bishop of Newcastle stresses importance of regional outcomes for released prisoners

The Bishop of Newcastle spoke in a debate on partnership working to prevent homelessness for early-release prisoners on 16th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, for bringing this topic to our attention today, and I pay tribute to him for his tireless work in this area of concern. It is an honour to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Bottomley.

The north-east, where I live, offers both encouragement and challenge to the theme of our debate today. HMP Northumberland, Northumberland County Council, the probation services and voluntary organisations, which we have already heard quite a lot about, have developed strong partnerships to improve resettlement. Those partnerships deserve recognition, but they also raise the important question of how we are assessing their effectiveness. Success should not be measured simply by whether a referral has been made or a duty fulfilled. It should be measured by outcomes. As other noble Lords have asked, did someone leave prison with suitable accommodation? Were they still housed weeks and months later? Did they avoid rough sleeping? Were they able to access healthcare, treatment for substance misuse and, where appropriate, employment and training? Those outcomes are closely connected. Homelessness rarely exists in isolation. It intersects with poor mental health, addiction, unemployment and social exclusion.

Bishop of Manchester highlights links between homelessness and reoffending during debate on housing for early release prisoners

The Bishop of Manchester spoke in a debate on partnership working between prisons and housing authorities to prevent rough sleeping among early release prisoners on 16th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, for securing this important debate, not least because it brings together two of my long-term concerns—homelessness and the rehabilitation of offenders. I declare my interests as the chair of the Church Housing Association and as a trustee of the Clink Charity, which works within and beyond prisons.

Homelessness is both a cause and a consequence of offending. Breaking this cycle requires an understanding of individual vulnerabilities and a “whole community” approach to rehabilitation. Without long-term, joined-up thinking that provides prison leavers with the tools to live independently, prisoners are trapped in a cycle of reoffending. This undermines their intrinsic human value. From these Benches, I would add “their God-given value”. In St Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus notably refers to concern for prisoners as one of just a handful of criteria determining a divine judgment.

Bishop of Newcastle speaks in debate on education, employment and welfare

The Bishop of Newcastle spoke in a debate on the government record on Education, Employment and Welfare on 16th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Evans of Bowes Park, for bringing this debate today, and it is an honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley.

I want to focus my comments on opportunity and social mobility. In assessing the Government’s record on education, employment and welfare since July 2024, we cannot ignore the growing loss of humanities provision across higher education. Universities are autonomous institutions, but their decisions are shaped by the wider financial and policy environment.

A successful education system is measured not simply by qualifications or apprenticeships but by the breadth of opportunity it offers. The Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation 2024 reminds us that opportunity remains profoundly shaped by geography. When courses disappear from universities across whole regions, it is often students without the financial means to relocate who lose more opportunities first. Those from more affluent backgrounds can frequently move elsewhere or absorb the additional costs of studying further from home; those from less advantaged backgrounds often cannot. As a result, talent is constrained not by ability but by circumstance.

Bishop of Newcastle asks about Gaelic-language broadcasting

The Bishop of Newcastle asked a question about Gaelic-language broadcasting on 16th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, from my time in New Zealand, I saw at first hand the benefit of intentional government investment in Māori-language broadcasting for younger audiences. What steps are His Majesty’s Government taking to ensure that Gaelic-language broadcasting remains accessible and relevant to younger audiences and is not merely retained as a residual service?

Church Commissioners Written Questions: Archbishops Council, Church Repairs and Maintenance

On 16th July 2026, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Archbishops’ Council

Danny Kruger MP (Reform UK, East Wiltshire): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what were the dates of any determinations made by the Church Commissioners in accordance with its duty under section 2(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 during the last ten years; what were the amounts of income determined on each occasion, what were the periods applicable to each determination, what were the amounts of income distributed to the Archbishops’ Council during each period in accordance with this duty and what steps were taken to ensure that these income distributions were and are being applied in accordance with the statutory restriction at section 2(3) of that Measure.

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