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 Gloucester asks about equality assessment of the prison and probation services

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 15th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:

whether they conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014 for (1) prisons, (2) HM Prison and Probation Service, and (3) providers of probation services.
whether they have conducted an Equality Impact Assessment of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014; what assessment was made of the impact of the framework on women; and what conclusions were reached.
what assessment they made, during the development of the prison service instruction and probation service instruction Security Vetting: PSI 07/2014, PI 03/2014, of the potential impact on individuals already employed by (1) prisons, (2) HM Prison and Probation Service, and (3) providers of probation services.

Bishop of Manchester asks about regional growth and employment

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on growth and employment in greater Manchester during a discussion on business hiring and its impact on the wider economy on 14th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the area of Greater Manchester, which is largely coterminous with my diocese, has been showing better growth and better employment figures than most other parts of the country. I wonder whether the Minister might reflect that what the wider country needs is a good dose of Manchesterism.

Bishop of Manchester asks about role of climate change in increasing insurance prices

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the role of climate change and extreme weather events in driving up insurance prices on 13th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, yesterday the Church of England General Synod reaffirmed its commitment to net zero. Back when we were first looking into that, I remember sitting down with the chief executive of one of the world’s largest insurance companies and asking him why he was so interested in climate change. He said that extreme weather events are the biggest risk for insurance companies. Does the Minister agree with me that if we are going to make insurance affordable, we have to reduce extreme weather events? It is not about adapting; it is about getting down to net zero.

Bishop of Norwich asks about tree planting and associated benefits

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answers on 13th July 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: To ask His Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had, or intend to have, about the public health benefits associated with trees and green spaces as part of the development of the forthcoming England Trees Action Plan.

Bishop of Gloucester speaks in debate on international development outcomes for women and girls

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in a debate on international development outcomes for women and girls on 9th July 2026, raising the issue of violence against women and girls and the impact of cuts to official development assistance:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Sugg, for bringing this debate. I will focus on violence against women and girls. As we have heard, the fundamental concern here is whether the reduction in UK ODA can be achieved without significant consequences for women and girls. The Government’s own equality impact assessment acknowledges that the reduction in ODA

“will inevitably have negative impacts for many programme beneficiaries”.

I state the obvious here that women and girls constitute at least 50% of the world’s population. When we talk about these issues, I often feel as though we are talking about something that affects a minority group, which would still not be acceptable, but sometimes we need to state the obvious.

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