leeds – Page 3 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Leeds asks about human rights in Iraq

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answers on 10th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government whether they provide assistance to parliamentarians visiting Iraqi Kurdistan.

Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab, FCDO): The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) can support parliamentarians’ visits overseas that support parliamentary business and the UK’s objectives. An appropriate level of assistance from the FCDO is dependent on resource implications and capacity issues of individual missions, including the British Consulate General in Erbil.

Bishop of Leeds asks about use of overseas aid to support women’s rights in Iraq

The Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 6th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking through Official Development Assistance to support the rights of women and girls in Iraq, including in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Bishop of Leeds and Bishop of St Albans ask about conflict in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo

The Bishop of St Albans and the Bishop of Leeds received the following written answer on 12th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government:

what assessment they have made of the recent occupation of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the rebel group M23.
what discussions they have had with the government of Rwanda regarding their support for the rebel group M23 and the possibility of the group’s withdrawal from Goma and other territories it has occupied.
what steps they have taken to facilitate dialogue and to explore options for a political settlement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked what assessment they have made of the M23 rebel group taking control of Goma; and whether they intend to call on Rwanda to withdraw support to the M23 rebels and withdraw from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bishop of Leeds asks about teaching levels in arts and creative education

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on low numbers of teachers in the arts and humanities on 15th January 2025, during a discussion on the value of a creative education in state schools:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, schools feed in to universities, and the number of arts and humanities departments in universities has been in decline. I learned recently—and I speak as a linguist—that if all the students currently training in modern languages at university were to go into teaching, we would still only fund 70% of the language-teaching posts. This is a systemic problem in the arts and humanities. Trying to get PhD funding for arts and humanities is increasingly difficult. Will the Government commit to looking at the whole stream of the educational system in this respect, and not just schools?

Bishop of Leeds asks about role of United Arab Emirates in arming RSF in Sudan

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on what pressure the UK and US governments could put on the United Arab Emirates, who continue to supply weapons and funding to the RSF in Sudan, on 14th January 2025:

Baroness Chapman of Darlington: […] The noble Lord talked about other countries and their activities. All I can say is that any countries with any influence of any kind, or any relationship with any side—this is a multi-sided conflict now—must use that for one purpose only. That is to de-escalate, to bring those parties to the negotiating table and to get that humanitarian support which, as the noble Lord said, is urgently needed by those communities now.

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, that being the case, what pressure can the UK and the United States Governments put on the United Arab Emirates, which has been supplying and continue to supply funding and weapons to the RSF?

Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill: Bishop of Leeds supports bill

The Bishop spoke at the second reading of the Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill on 13th December 2024, emphasising the need for legislation on this issue:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Owen, on bringing forward this Bill, which seems to me to be very clear. It was good to witness her evident surprise at having to explain it to a bishop, but she need not have worried on that front.

Bishop of Leeds asks about return of refugees to Syria

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on protection of refugees from Syria, particularly those in minority groups, following a government statement on the recent regime change in the country:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, although Governments might learn a lot about not establishing red lines in other countries where we then breach them, which we have done with Putin and, particularly, in Syria with chemical weapons, it is clearly too early to know how Russia will respond to this. We know that it has withdrawn some of its naval fleet, but we do not know what the immediate future holds in Putin’s mind. These are early days—I am glad to hear in the Statement that asylum claims have been suspended, as it were, for the time being—but can the Minister give any guarantee that nobody will be returned to Syria before we are clearer about what they might be going back to, especially if they belong to a minority, and that proper hearings will still be held so that justice is done for some very vulnerable people?

Hereditary Peers Bill: Bishop of Leeds points out constitutional implications of Lords Reform

The Bishop of Leeds spoke in the second reading debate on the Hereditary Peers Bill on 11th December 2024, pointing out the nuances of the role of the Lords Spiritual in the HoL, and the constitutional implications of House of Lords reform:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I rise to speak in the gap because there was a clerical error. My name should have been on the list and was not, so the remarks about Bishops being strangely mute are perhaps unmerited. I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Brady, on his maiden speech. All I can say to the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, is that the end is now more nigh than when this debate began, but I wish her well in the future. We heard Jesus quoted earlier:

“Greater love hath no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends”.

Your Lordships will remember that Jeremy Thorpe famously said of Macmillan, after the night of the long knives:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life”.

That might provide another lens through which to see this debate.

Bishop of Leeds asks about support for arts and creative industries

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on facilitation of touring in Europe for young people involved in creative industries and the arts on 10th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I know many people in the creative sector who are worried about the generational impact of this issue. We have already heard the phrase “plan for change”, but this generation is losing the vital experience not only of performing abroad or doing whatever they do but of the business of getting there in the first place. We are hearing that the Government are working hard and that it is a priority, but is there a timeline? For many of those people, that matters.

Bishop of Leeds asks about link between poverty and absenteeism from school

On 22nd October 2024, the Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the causal correlation between poverty and absenteeism from school:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, is there any causal correlation between poverty, particularly in the wake of the cost of living crisis, and absenteeism from school?

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