On 26th April 2022, the House of Lords Debated amendments to the Nationality and Borders Bill, and votes took place on amendments in which Bishops took part:
Division 1:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford took part in a vote on amendment proposed by Baroness Chakrabarti regarding compliance with the refugee convention:
Baroness Chakrabarti moved Motion B1, as an amendment to Motion B, at end to insert “but do propose Amendment 5D in lieu—
5D Insert the following new Clause—
“Interpretation of Part 2
(1) So far as it is possible to do so, the provisions of this Part must be read and given effect in a way which is compatible with the Refugee Convention.
(2) If a court or tribunal determining a question which has arisen in connection with the provisions of this Part cannot read and give effect to those provisions in a way which is compatible with the Refugee Convention, it must make a declaration to that effect.””
The amendment was agreed. Content: 244 / Not Content: 219
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford voted Content.
Division 2:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford took part in a vote on an amendment from Lord Kerr of Kinlochard regarding the refugee convention and the right to family unity:
Lord Kerr of Kinlochard moved Motion C1, as an amendment to Motion C, at end to insert “and do propose Amendments 6D, 6E and 6F in lieu—
6D Page 13, line 44, at end insert—
“(2A) A refugee is not to be regarded as failing to comply with the requirement in subsection (2)(a) if, in coming to the United Kingdom, they have stopped in another country outside the United Kingdom with the intention that the stopover in the intermediate country was to be a brief transit on the way to the United Kingdom.
(2B) A refugee is not to be regarded as failing to comply with the requirement in subsection (2)(b) if they had good cause to delay the point at which they presented themselves to the authorities.”
6E Page 14, line 6, at end insert—
“(4A) It shall be for the Secretary of State to prove a failure to comply with the requirement in subsection (2)(a), (2)(b) or (3), as the case may be.”
6F Page 14, line 32, at end insert—
“(8A) In accordance with section 2 of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993, no such immigration rules shall lay down any practice or differentiate in any way which would be contrary to the Refugee Convention.
(8B) Immigration rules implementing this provision must take due account of the best interests of children and the fundamental right to family unity in all cases.””
The amendment was agreed. Content: 227 / Not Content: 219
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford voted Content.
Division 3:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford took part in a vote on an amendment from Baroness Lister of Burtersett, concerning the right to work for refugees and asylum seekers.
The amendment was agreed. Content: 220 / Not Content 219
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford voted Content.
Division 4:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by the Bishop of Manchester. The amendment concerned the potential removal of asylum seekers and refugees to a third state and the safety of this practice.
The amendment was disagreed. Content: 216 / Not Content 221
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford voted Content.
Division 5:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by Lord Coaker, seeking to replace the term “public order” with the following, with a view to protecting victims of modern slavery:
Lord Coaker moved Motion J1, as an amendment to Motion J, at end to insert “and do propose Amendment 13D as an amendment in lieu and Amendment 13E as a consequential amendment—
13D Page 40, leave out lines 5 to 9 and insert—
“(D1) A person who knowingly arrives in the United Kingdom—
(a) in breach of a deportation order, or
(b) following their exclusion from the United Kingdom on the grounds of national security,
commits an offence.”
13E Page 41, line 4, leave out paragraph (e)”
The amendment was disagreed. Content: 205 / Not Content 225.
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford voted Content.
Division 6:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford took part in a vote on an amendment tabled by Lord Paddick, seeking to remove the threat of prosecution from those rescuing migrants in the English Channel:
Lord Paddick moved, as an amendment to Motion K, at end to insert “and do propose Amendment 20D in lieu—
20D Page 41, line 41, at end insert—
“(3A) After section 25A(3) insert—
“(3A) Subsection (1) does not apply to a person whose action is taken for humanitarian reasons including the preservation of life.”””
The amendment was disagreed. Content: 112 / Not Content 224.
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford voted Content.
Division 7:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford took part in a vote on a further amendment tabled by Lord Coaker, seeking to protect victims of modern slavery from criminalisation under this bill.
The amendment was disagreed. Content: 196 / Not Content: 222
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Guildford voted Content.
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.