On 29th March 2023, the House of Lords debated a motion to approve the Windsor Framework (Democratic Scrutiny) Regulations. A vote was held on an amendment to the motion, in which a Bishop took part:
Division 1:
The Bishop of Derby took part in a vote on an amendment to the Windsor Framework (Democratic Scrutiny) Regulations 2023 tabled by Lord Morrow, which would reject the draft regulations on the grounds that they would mean that the EU would have powers to affect areas of law in Northern Ireland:
Lord Morrow moved, as an amendment to the motion, leave out after “that” and insert “this House declines to approve the draft Regulations because rather than eliminating the democratic deficit they make provision for law to be made for Northern Ireland in 300 policy areas by the European Union in whose parliament the people of Northern Ireland have no representation; because they only give the Northern Ireland Assembly the right to try to prevent the amending or replacing of EU law in relation to laws pertaining to product regulation, and give no such right in relation to other legislation in areas such as VAT, State Aid, customs, electricity etc.; because the freedom of the Assembly to try to prevent the application of changes made to EU law applying to Northern Ireland is further constrained by the requirement that the change in product regulation must have a significant and lasting effect, and even then the EU can object, sending the matter to arbitration which might find against the position of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a situation which confirms that the Stormont brake is not a veto, and even if arbitration finds in favour of the position of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the consequences of this are very limited and this highly constrained expression of democracy is subject to retaliatory remedial action by the EU; and because the requirement to subject the existing Westminster brake to an applicability motion from the Assembly can be ignored by His Majesty’s Government”.
The amendment was disagreed. Content: 14 / Not Content: 227.
The Bishop of Derby voted Not Content.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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