Tag: manchester

Bishop of Manchester speaks in debate on new shipping regulations

On 29th June 2026, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in a debate on the Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and International Shipping) Regulations 2026, commending the regulations and their environmental impact:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Deben, on matters of climate change. The way he spoke with such passion and wisdom is an example of this House at its best.

Climate change presents the greatest collective action problem of our age. Every nation would prefer others to act first, which is why strong climate leadership matters. I found myself challenging the Government for not doing enough earlier this afternoon in Committee of the Financial Services and Markets Bill, so I want to commend these regulations tonight.

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

The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Bill focused on strengthening adherence to regulatory principles on 29th June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I, too, support all the amendments in this group, but I will limit my remarks to Amendment 80, to which I have added my name. I note that I appear to be the only man to have signed any of the amendments in this group. I hope that does not mean that climate concern is now becoming divided on gender lines; climate risks are not sex specific. Perhaps I might encourage some other men to rise and support amendments in this group.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about training for asylum adjudicators

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on training on religious literacy for adjudicators of asylum claims on 29th June 2026 during a discussion on the possibility of replacing immigration judges with adjudicators:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, picking up on the point about training, can the Minister tell us what support will be available and what training will be offered to the adjudicators around religious literacy? Decisions regarding people’s cases often hinge on claims of religious persecution and involve people who have deeply traumatic pasts. They must, therefore, be well-informed and accurate.

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Bishop of Manchester calls for scientific trials to take precedence over culture wars over puberty blockers

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the importance of scientific trials to produce evidence-based results on the use of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria on 25th June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: Would the Minister agree that the scientific trials are the best way to try to remove this from the culture wars that are so damning this particular topic?

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House of Lords: Clergy Conduct Measure

On 24th June, the Bishop of Manchester moved a motion to direct that the Clergy Conduct Measure be presented to His Majesty the King for Royal Assent. The motion passed:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: That this House do direct that, in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919, the Clergy Conduct Measure be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent.

Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab, Chief Whip): My Lords, I have it in command from His Majesty the King to acquaint the House that His Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Clergy Conduct Measure, has consented to place his interest, as far as affected by the Measure, at the disposal of Parliament for the purpose of the Measure.

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the Clergy Conduct Measure is a vital part of the Church of England’s ongoing reform of clergy discipline and safeguarding. During the passage of this Measure through the General Synod, the Church has acknowledged that the current clergy discipline system does not always serve complainants well. Too often, they have found the process opaque and painfully slow. Equally, it has not served clergy well, leaving many in a state of prolonged anxiety and limbo, worried they will lose house and job.

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Financial Services and Markets Bill: Bishop of Manchester speaks in committee

The Bishop of Manchester spoke at the first committee debate for the Financial Services and Markets Bill on 22nd June 2022, stressing the importance of face-to-face banking and financial services:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, it is a great honour to follow the noble Baroness., Lady Tyler. As I listened to her speech, I was crossing off most of the things that I was going to say, because she said them much more eloquently than I could have, and I am thankful for that. We need to be able to provide everybody with the best possible services, locally available. As the noble Baroness said, when people are at their most vulnerable, at the most crucial moments of their lives and taking the big decisions, being face to face makes all the difference.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about importance of local care arrangements for vulnerable children and young people

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the importance of kinship care and young people in care remaining close to their extended families during a discussion on the grooming gangs enquiry on 22nd June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, does the Minister agree that some of the most vulnerable young people are those who are in care. Too often, we see young people put in care homes many hundreds of miles away from where their kinship relationships are, making them even more vulnerable. Will the Minster say what can be done to stop the practice of young people being moved to the poorest parts of the country, to the cheapest care homes, where they are made the most vulnerable of all?

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Financial Services and Markets Bill: Bishop of Manchester speaks at second reading

The Bishop of Manchester spoke at the second reading of the Financial Services and Markets Bill on 8th June 2026, raising the issue of access to credit and impact of debt on vulnerable people and communities:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. As with all my colleagues on these Benches—not that there seem to be many of them here today—my stipend, pension contributions, housing and working costs are provided by the Church Commissioners for England. As an issuer of bonds, something we started when I was chairing, it is a regulated body.

I welcome the intention behind the Bill to modernise our financial services and to support economic growth. However, our aim must be to enable economic opportunity for all communities. Amid what is still a cost of living crisis, we must measure economic success not only by the growth of the economy itself but by how it promotes the dignity of those most in need and protects individuals at times when the system fails. It is a large Bill, so I will focus on just a few main aspects: access to credit, credit unions, consumer protection, and access to wider banking services. These are probably the issues that are most appropriate for one who is a bishop, not a banker.

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Bishop of Manchester responds to government statement on children’s social care

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on support for care leavers following a government statement on reform of children’s social care on 8th June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, from these Benches, I also warmly welcome what is in the strategy. Enabling children in care to sustain or make long-lasting relationships is absolutely crucial. When it comes to the lifelong relationship ceremonies, we on these Benches are certainly very interested in looking at what can be done to effect that. My question has come out of the work I did on my Private Member’s Bill for care leavers in the last Session. So many care leavers need to move from one local authority area to another, perhaps to maintain those relationships or to rebuild a relationship with a sibling, yet what traditionally happens is that the authority they have left washes its hands of them and the authority they land in considers it has no responsibility because they were never in care in that authority. What will the Government do to ensure that, where young people move from one authority area to another after they have just left care, they do not fall through the net any longer?

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Bishop of Manchester asks about housing and mental health

The Bishop of Manchester asked a question on the housing needs of young people with mental health concerns and other issues in need of support, during a discussion on affordable housing for young people on 8th June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, young people under 35 who require support for their housing get only the shared accommodation rate of benefits, yet they are often disproportionately the people who have mental health concerns or other issues. Does the Minister agree that this needs looking into to ensure that the most vulnerable young people are not the ones who are pushed to the bottom of the housing situation?

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