On 21st June 2023, the House of Lords debated Commons amendments to the National Security Bill. Votes were held on further amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: National Security Bill
Tag: political parties
Bishop of Durham asks about appointment of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary
On 27th October 2022, the Bishop of Durham asked a question about the suitability of the appointment of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary, in response to a Commons Urgent Question on her resignation and reappointment:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I do not come at this from any party-political angle. The question in my mind is this. Even if all the justifications are correct—and there are big questions about that—was it wise, in seeking to offer integrity and leadership, to appoint someone so rapidly who had raised so many questions about whether she was suitable to hold the office?
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con): Ms Braverman apologised. She resigned from a great office of state. She accepted the remedies of the Ministerial Code. Things then moved on at great speed. We have different circumstances. We have a Government who need to deliver for the British people in difficult economic circumstances. She needs to be able to play her part in making our borders safer and better, and she needs the support of this House.
Bishop of Newcastle – abuse and threats toward MPs unacceptable and risk to democracy
I shall not focus on the choices before us, but I note that, whether by intention or default, we will make a choice—a choice will be made—and, beyond that choice, we have to live together. We are experiencing a time of extraordinary turbulence and toxicity in our political life, and it is how we navigate and respond to that turbulence and toxicity now and in future that I shall address in the remainder of the time available to me this afternoon.
Bishop of Salisbury encourages political parties to ‘lay aside all private interests’ and deal with political party funding
On the 27th October the Bishop of Salisbury the Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam spoke in the second reading debate of Lord Tyler’s Private Members Bill, ‘Democratic Political Activity (Funding and Expenditure) Bill’. The Bishop acknowledged that the House had achieved a consensus that we have a problem with funding of political parties and he encouraged all sides of the debate to lay aside all private interests, prejudices and partial affections, to sit down together and work out what best to do.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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