Speeches – The Church of England in Parliament

Representation of the People Bill: Bishop of Hereford raises threat of AI deepfakes

The Bishop of Hereford also spoke at the second reading of the Representation of the People Bill on 14th September 2026, raising the issue of technological deepfakes being used to undermine the democratic process:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I join a number of noble Lords who have raised the issue of deepfakes in electoral campaigning. I am pleased to be supported in this by my right reverend friend the Bishop of Leicester, who is, unfortunately, unable to be here today. It is regrettable that the Bill does not address the growing challenge to our democracy posed by deepfakes. Democracy depends not only upon the integrity of our electoral processes but upon the integrity of the information environment in which those processes operate, as the noble Lord, Lord Sahota, powerfully reminded us. Voters must be able to know when political content has been generated or materially altered by artificial intelligence. Without that assurance, it becomes harder for citizens to distinguish truth from fabrication, and easier for bad actors to manipulate democratic debate.

Deepfakes pose a distinct challenge to our democracy because they erode the trust on which democratic life depends. They diminish confidence in what voters see and hear, weakening our shared basis for public deliberative discourse. Ofcom research from 2024 found that 57% of respondents were concerned about the impact of deepfakes during the general election; almost half reported that they did not know if they had seen one in the previous week, and a quarter reported that they had.

Representation of the People Bill: Bishop of Lichfield makes final speech in the Lords

The Bishop of Lichfield gave his valedictory speech at the second reading of the Representation of the People Bill on 14th September 2026, on the role of the Church in civic engagement and the contributions of faith communities to democracy:

The Lord Bishop of Lichfield: My Lords, this is an important and timely debate, as any opportunity to re-establish trust in politics is one that we must embrace eagerly. We are sadly familiar with the phrase, “A plague on both your houses”, used in a political context. The word “both” may be rather out of date, but the sentiment expressed encapsulates the frustration that many voters feel with the entire political system, thus overlooking many principled, honest and hard-working MPs, Peers and their staff.

I will mention two points in particular. First, in my visits to prisons, I meet many men with time to think and to think deeply. Most people come to serve their sentence in prison only after a string of failures: personal failures and the failures of services, systems and institutions, including the Church. To have that direct and painful experience of system failure and yet, through disenfranchisement, to have no means to participate in efforts for their correction or renewal, can further erode any sense of civic engagement and belonging. I hope that this House will consider whether votes might be extended to at least some convicted prisoners as one dimension of the penal journey to rehabilitation.

Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill: Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich speaks at second reading

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich spoke at the second reading of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill on 11th September 2026, requesting clarification on how the principles of restorative justice would be integrated into youth criminal justice:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I was encouraged by the Government’s White Paper on youth crime, which highlighted the relationship between complex needs and the experiences of youth justice. However, the increasing prevalence of such needs underscores the necessity of retaining the specialist expertise of the Youth Justice Board.

In my own diocese, I have seen how those needs can draw children into crime; for example, through county lines. Many young people who come into contact with these networks are not simply offenders but often victims of exploitation and trauma. This is particularly true for Suffolk’s looked-after children and care leavers, who are at much greater risk of poor mental health and social exclusion, and are over-represented in the justice system. County lines activity provides a clear example of the importance of meeting complex needs with specialist expertise. The Youth Justice Board has long held this unique expertise, championing a child-first approach which prioritises prevention and safeguarding. We should therefore be cautious about transferring significant functions away from it.

Financial Services and Markets Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on environmental protections

The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of a group of amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Bill focused on environmental protection on 9th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, financial stability is crucial for sustainable growth. It is what allows people and families to plan for the future, to reliably hold savings, pensions and mortgages, and of course it supports businesses to create the jobs on which we depend. In the same way, financial growth and environmental stewardship are interdependent. Growth provides us with resources that allow us to invest in new sustainable fuels, clean infrastructure and new ways to tackle the climate crisis.

Armed Forces Bill: Bishop of Norwich tables amendment on impersonating police officers

On 8th September 2026, the Bishop of Norwich tabled an amendment to the Armed Forces Bill seeking to amend section 90 of the Police Act 1996 to make impersonating a service police officer a specific offence and afford service police the same protections against impersonation given to their civilian counterparts:

59: After Clause 50, insert the following new Clause—

“Impersonation of service police(1) Section 90 of the Police Act 1996 (impersonation, etc.) is amended as follows.(2) In subsection (1), after “force” insert “including service police”.(3) In subsection (2), after “force” insert “including service police”.(4) In subsection (3), after “force” insert “including service police”.(5) In subsection (4), at end insert—“(c) “service police” has the same meaning as in section 375 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 (definitions relating to the service police and other police forces).””Member’s explanatory statement

The amendment seeks to amend section 90 of the Police Act 1996 to make impersonating a service police officer a specific offence and afford service police the same protections against impersonation given to their civilian counterparts.

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, in moving Amendment 59, I will also speak to Amendment 60 in my name; I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Newnham, and the noble Earl, Lord Minto, for their support. I declare an interest as the father of a soldier.

Financial Services and Markets Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on consumer protection and affordability

The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Bill focused on consumer protection and affordable credit on 7th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I support Amendment 2 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Bowles of Berkhamsted, to which I have added my name. As we have already heard, this amendment would ensure that, when provisions of the Consumer Credit Act are repealed or replaced by FCA rules, the overall level of consumer protection would not be diminished. The Consumer Credit Act has long provided established routes of redress to consumers; it has done so for decades. It provides a core of fundamental protections enshrined in primary legislation and developed through parliamentary scrutiny, and probably is fairly well known.

Bishop of Chester raises factors of poverty and public awareness in debate on modern slavery

The Bishop of Chester spoke in a debate on a report on modern slavery on 4th September 2026, highlighting the importance of public awareness and the need to also consider the factor of poverty:

The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, I join others in welcoming the Minister to his seat. I hope that he will not mind my sharing that, before his introduction yesterday, we were chuckling that wandering about this place for the first time felt a bit like wandering around Hogwarts. My hope, if I may say so, is that he will fight as passionately for justice as the heroes of those stories.

I am also not alone in welcoming this report wholeheartedly. I express my gratitude to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, and his colleagues for the extraordinarily good and profound work that has been done here. I am proud to be part of a nation that, 10 years ago, introduced—for the first time anywhere in the world, I believe—ground-breaking legislation. However, we have not gone far enough. This matters, morally, legally, economically and in terms of human rights. I suspect—to think of my day job—that I am preaching to choir in terms of the moral case for this. We have only to glimpse the basics of forced labour to see that this is not good enough. Although that is part of the problem: we do not glimpse it, and we do not have the public outrage that we need.

Bishop of Coventry speaks in debate on preparing for an aging society

The Bishop of Coventry spoke in a debate on an aging society, emphasising the importance of valuing the elderly, on 4th September 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this important issue, and I thank the Economic Affairs Committee for its thorough and timely report. As we consider the prospect of a society where the people of older age vastly outnumber younger people, it is vital that we avoid framing our discussion primarily around the burden of the old to the young. We must continue to emphasise that the value of a person cannot be reduced to their fiscal contribution to the state, although I very much understand the pressures. As the report rightly notes, increased life expectancy is a welcome gift and one of the considerable achievements of modern society. I note that, when I began ordained ministry in 1997, I regularly conducted funerals for people in their 60s and 70s; decades on, they were much more frequently for people in their 80s and 90s.

Bishop of Manchester welcomes focus on social care in government’s legislative agenda and urges action on global threats

The Bishop of Manchester spoke in a debate on the government’s political priorities and legislative agenda on 3rd September 2026, urging action in response to the changes in the political and global landscape since 2024 and welcoming the government’s focus on tackling homelessness and improving social care:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the economist Keynes, upbraided for changing his view on some matters, allegedly responded with the phrase:

“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?”

In the 26 months since the general election, the facts have changed. We have seen the US assault on Iran, the explosive growth of AI, the devastating impact of climate change—alluded to by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath—threatening harvests here while killing hundreds in Nepal and Tibet. Meanwhile, we stand closer to global war than at any time since my childhood. The facts have changed.

Keynes changed his mind. He did not resign and reapply for his post; rather, he sought to win others to his revised opinions. I have heard it said that our new Prime Minister must stick to the 2024 Labour manifesto or go to the country, but that is not how I believe Parliament should work. We are a well-informed and reasonable House. Many of us—not least on my own Bench, and the Cross-Benchers—owe no allegiance to any party master. We swear our oath, as do all noble Lords, to the Crown. We will scrutinise whatever matters are brought before us with our usual diligence. I would, however, be surprised and alarmed if we withheld consent simply because a proposal reflected the context of 2026, not 2024.

Bishop of Coventry raises importance of apprenticeships and vocational training in debate on skills

The Bishop of Coventry spoke in a debate on skills, vocational training, and further and higher education on 3rd September 2026, highlighting apprenticeships and vocational pathways as overlooked areas in helping young people into work:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I welcome the Government’s renewed focus on technical education, youth employment and regional growth. Vocational and technical education can be one of the strongest levers for social mobility, but only where it is genuinely accessible to those who face the greatest barriers. On numerous occasions over the past 30 years of ministry, I have seen young people thrive and flourish into work due to the investment of colleges and businesses working together to enable this to happen.

Although there have been many reasons to be encouraged during my tenure so far in Coventry, it was deeply discouraging to learn of this year’s 9% GCSE attainment gap between London and my region, the West Midlands. If we are serious about opportunity in our nation, we must ensure that high-quality technical pathways are available to all young people wherever they live and not only in areas that already benefit from stronger educational outcomes. I believe that we cannot develop high-level apprenticeships at the expense of levels 2 to 4. These entry-level routes are often the vital first step towards skilled employment and further progression.

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