On 5th January 2026, the House of Lords debated the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham tabled a question on the effectiveness of recruitment and retention policies for the armed forces on 7th July 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of their recruitment and retention policies for the armed forces.
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The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 17th June 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Israeli Defence Force’s reported use of the ‘Dahiya Doctrine’, the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure; and of whether it is compatible with international humanitarian law.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about actions of the Israeli military and international humanitarian law”The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham spoke in a debate marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan on 9th May 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, it is a privilege to speak in this debate. I congratulate my right reverend friend the Bishop of Peterborough on her excellent maiden speech, and I look forward to her insightful and wide-ranging contribution to the work of this House in the coming days, particularly drawing on her experience in education and with young people. I also thank the Minister for his very moving and impassioned speech opening this debate.
We commemorate a time of extraordinary sacrifice and service in the story of our nation, as well as our allied partners, notably in the Commonwealth. Victory, we know, was hard won. I pay particular tribute to the vital work of the Armed Forces chaplains, who served with great distinction throughout the war. We can be thankful that they remain an essential and fully integrated part of our military capability, not only because of their vital role in times of conflict but for the well-being of all service personnel during training, on exercise and on deployment in strategic peacetime operations.
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On 3rd April 2025, the Bishop of Southwark spoke in a debate on the withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel landmines and the Convention on Cluster Munitions by several NATO allies:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame, for setting out this important matter so clearly and to other noble Lords for their very evident expertise in this area.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark speaks on value of treaties placing limits on use of landmines and cluster munitions”The Bishop of Leeds tabled a question on government plans to intensify military support for Ukraine on 12th September 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to accelerate and intensify military support for Ukraine.
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab, FCDO): My Lords, UK support for Ukraine is ironclad, and that is why we are stepping up military aid to Ukraine. We are ramping up and speeding up delivery of military support for Ukraine. On Friday, the Defence Secretary announced that the UK would provide Ukraine with 650 lightweight multi-role missiles. Operation Interflex, which has trained 45,000 Ukrainian troops, will extend through 2025. Additionally, yesterday he confirmed that military support announced in April is on track for delivery.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about UK military support for Ukraine”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how many gambling or gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK.
Baroness Goldie (Con): I can confirm that some gambling and gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK. Whilst I am unable to advise precisely how many there are as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, I would wish to provide reassurance that work is underway to understand the scale of problem gambling within the Armed Forces and to address it accordingly.
The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answer on 24th October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of conscientious objectors by the authorities in Azerbaijan; and what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about the introduction of a civilian alternative to military service on the grounds of conscience.
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The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 5th September 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the announcement of the £55 million contract to regenerate HMS Quorn, a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, what plans they have for further refurbishment of naval vessels to bolster NATO’s maritime capability.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about warship maintenance and repairs”On 13th September 2021, the Bishop of Blackburn tabled a question on gambling disorders in the military on behalf of the Bishop of St Albans:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to legislate (1) to require annual medical screening questions related to gambling disorder in the military, and (2) to annually assess the prevalence of gambling disorder among members of the armed forces.
The Lord Bishop of Blackburn: My Lords, with the leave of the House, I ask the Question standing on the Order Paper in the name of my colleague the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans.
Continue reading “Bishop of Blackburn tables question on gambling in the military on behalf of the Bishop of St Albans”
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