courts – The Church of England in Parliament

Crime and Policing Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on civil accountability

On 11th March 2026, the Bishop of Manchester spoke during a debate on an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill tabled by Lord Davies of Gower which “would prevent the Independent Office for Police Conduct from investigating an officer where that officer has already been investigated and acquitted in court for the same conduct matter,”, opposing the amendment and stressing the need for accountability in civil proceedings:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, can I add my two-penn’orth to this? I declare my interest as the co-chair of the national police ethics committee, but I am speaking more as a serving Bishop. I have to hear disciplinary complaints against clergy. Sometimes those clergy have committed something which is being investigated first by the police. To answer the point from the noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, often the police tell us, “We don’t want you interfering until we have finished”. If the result of the criminal proceeding is that the person is convicted, I can then do quite a summary process in terms of applying a penalty or perhaps depriving that member of the clergy from serving in their parish, perhaps banning them from ministry for a time or for life. But all of that is very much on that balance of probabilities, on the civil standard. It is very different from the criminal standard.

Votes: Victims and Courts Bill

On 10th March 2026, the House of Lords debated the Victims and Courts Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

Sentencing Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments on greater independence

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke at a committee debate on the Sentencing Bill, advocating for greater independence in sentencing:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I will make a few brief comments; I am aware of time, and there is a lot to get through. I wholeheartedly agree with the remarks made by the noble Lord, Lord Marks, and I thank him for his kind comments.

When it comes to sentencing, I have believed for many years that we need more independence and not less. My own submission to David Gauke’s sentencing review focused on this, and, as has been said, followed the Justice Committee’s recommendations—I ought to underline that—in its own inquiry on public opinion and the understanding of sentencing.

Sentencing Bill: Bishop of Gloucester questions lack of long-term planning in bill

On 12th November 2025, the Bishop of Gloucester spoke at the second reading of the Sentencing Bill, expressing concern at the lack of comprehensive long term planning in the legislation:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I declare an interest as Anglican bishop to His Majesty’s prisons in England and Wales. I, too, pay tribute to the late Baroness Newlove, not least in her role as Victims’ Commissioner. I want to echo so much of what the noble Lord, Lord Beith, and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Burnett, have just said, which has lifted my spirits.

There is much to welcome in this Bill. For example, as has been said, we know in general that short custodial sentences do more harm than good, so I am delighted that we are now seeing some evidence-based policy-making rather than policy shaped by media headlines. We also need to clarify our long-term vision and aims. As a Christian, I believe that every human being is made in the image of God and is created to live in interdependent relationship, and broken relationship sits at the heart of all brokenness. Strong relationship sits at the heart of all that is good and transformative. I thank the Minister for his introduction, but I am dismayed that we are setting the context of this Bill as overcrowded prisons and a current crisis. Surely our long-term vision and big picture is not simply about more prisons or even decent prisons, but ultimately about strengthening communities so that people flourish in a network of healthy and safe relationships.

Bishop of Leeds asks about government response to Leveson recommendations

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the government response to the Leveson recommendations on delays between charges and trials in the courts on 10th November 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, the Minister has said a couple of times that the response to the Leveson recommendations will be delivered in due course. Can she possibly tell us what “in due course” looks like, because it has been quite a long time already?

Bishop of Manchester asks about equity in the courts

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on equitable treatment of those from minority-ethnic backgrounds in the courts on14th July 2025, during a discussion on proposed restrictions on trial by jury:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, it was my privilege this lunchtime to be with a group of young legal students with very diverse backgrounds except that they had all been through the care system—a group of people who are more likely than anybody else to be charged and prosecuted for behaviours that others might be treated more favourably over. The same often applies to people from minority-ethnic backgrounds. Does the Minister agree that dealing with that disproportionality in how people are treated for the same behaviour by the legal system will be a good way to reduce some of the waiting lists of courts?

Votes: Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill

On 4th June 2025, the House of Lords debated the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a bishop took part:

Bishop of London emphasises need for support for victims of crime in debate on Crown Court backlog

The Bishop of London spoke in a debate on Crown Court Criminal Case Backlog on 20th March 2025, raising the need to support victims of crime:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is humbling to speak in this debate in the company of those better qualified than me to make comment, but I rise to speak particularly about the impact on victims. From London, I also welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Longfield, to her place.

It continues to be a great shame that criminal justice is one of those Cinderella public services. We often talk or feel that spending money on things such as schools and healthcare is good, and of course it is. However, talking about spending money on prisons, probation and the courts is much less frequently affirmed, despite the fact that not spending in the courts has a terrible implication for victims. I wonder whether improving public understanding of the importance of a well-functioning court system for victims and defendants may be key to winning wider support and gaining resources that are so desperately needed. What consideration have the Government given to improving public understanding in this way?

Bishop of Bristol asks about legal aid review

The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answer on7th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked his Majesty’s Government whether they intend to continue the Review of Civil Legal Aid; and if so, when they intend to publish a final report.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about measures to deliver a more diverse judiciary

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 30th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the University of Manchester Racial Bias and the Bench: A response to the Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2020-2025), published in November 2022, what support they will give to recommendations to overhaul judicial appointment processes to deliver a more diverse judiciary and embed equalities within the judiciary.

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