On 5th February 2025, the House of Lords debated the Data (Use and Access) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Division 1:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of St Albans took part in a vote on an amendment to the bill tabled by Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge which would “would remove a “reasonable excuse” defence when a defendant has intentionally created the purported intimate image, the victim does not consent and the defendant does not reasonably believe that the victim consents.”
The amendment was agreed. Content: 318 / Not Content: 130
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of St Albans voted Content.
Division 2:
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of St Albans took part in a vote on an amendment to the bill tabled by Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge which would “seek to ensure that the courts have the option of sentencing a convicted defendant to a term of imprisonment if the court thinks that is appropriate in the circumstances of the individual case” in cases of production of non-consensual sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images.
The amendment was agreed. Content: 302 / Not Content: 132
The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of St Albans voted Content.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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