Portsmouth – The Church of England in Parliament

2025 Budget: Bishop of Portsmouth makes maiden speech

The Bishop of Portsmouth made his maiden speech on 4th December 2025 during a debate on the Autumn Budget, focusing on children and education:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth: I thank the Minister for his opening speech in this debate on the Budget. In this maiden speech, I want to thank all noble Lords for their warm welcome to the House, and to thank the doorkeepers and parliamentary staff for their unfailing kindness, good humour and patience with lost Bishops, and for the support they gave in the run-up to my introduction in late October.

As Bishop of Portsmouth, I lead a vibrant, confident community of communities. The Anglican diocese of Portsmouth lives from a generous, grounded and corrigible faith, a commitment to collaboration and partnership, and a vision of the common good which includes everyone. Wonderfully, in my view, the motto for the city of Portsmouth is “Heaven’s Light Our Guide”.

Working in partnership with neighbours within the wider Christian community, and with the faith communities and voluntary and statutory sectors, the communities I lead are resolved to serve the people, neighbourhoods and communities of East Hampshire, the city of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, to find what is good and to strengthen it, and to work with others for the flourishing of everyone.

Bishop of Portsmouth introduced

On 23rd October 2025, the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev’d Jonathan Frost, was introduced to the House of Lords and took his seat on the Bishops Benches as a Lord Spiritual.

Queen’s Speech – Bishop of Portsmouth gives farewell speech, on economy and poverty

On 12th May 2021 the Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Revd Christopher Foster, gave his valedictory speech in the House of Lords during the first day of debate on the Queen’s Speech. He focused on the economy and poverty.

“My Lords, it is more than seven years since I first spoke in this House. It is a long time since I was a maiden like the noble Baroness, Lady Blake, and the noble Lord, Lord Lebedev, whom I congratulate on their arrival and their speeches.

“Today, my name has ‘Valedictory’ next to it. Three weeks ago, I said an emotional godspeed to the people of the Portsmouth diocese at a cathedral service: scaled-down but intensely moving, for me and my wife Sally, at least, as we thanked so many.

“That service also gave me the opportunity for a bishop’s equivalent of ‘Desert Island Discs’, choosing the music sung wonderfully well by the cathedral choir. This included my favourite hymn among very many, ‘There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy’. It praises God’s gentleness, mercy and justice and how those qualities are rooted in His radical inclusion. It is something I touched on in my valedictory sermon: that the Church is its congregations, but it is far more its communities.

“We must always keep our doors open, especially to those who have no figurative or literal shelter—so I am interested, and not a little intrigued, by the Government’s talk of levelling up. The phrase suggests that those who already have will not have to give up anything and that those who need a hand up will be propelled upwards—but by what? Well, that is the question: how does the rhetoric become the reality? It is a dilemma that the Christian Church understands. We proclaim the kingdom, but find building it challenging.

Bishop of Portsmouth asks about impact of cuts to the Armed Forces

The Bishop of Portsmouth asked a question on the potential negative impact of cuts to the size of the Armed Forces on 23rd March 2021, following a government statement on the Integrated Review: Defence Command Paper:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth: My Lords, there is much to be welcomed in the defence Command Paper and the integrated review. As the Bishop of Portsmouth, I particularly welcome the ambitious signals to British shipbuilding for the Navy. However, I worry that, noting the tilt to the Indo-Pacific and expansion of Britain’s geographical scope into Africa, the integrated review does not suggest reducing the UK Government’s commitments anywhere, yet the proposed cuts to the Armed Forces mean the smallest full-time Army for centuries. Size is not everything, but are we asking too much of the Armed Forces? Do we risk overstretch? We seem to be gaining commitments, while failing to resource the resolution of existing challenges. Can the Minister indicate how the Government intend to flesh out their order of priorities?

Bishop of Portsmouth takes part in debate on tax justice

The Bishop of Portsmouth spoke in a debate on tax justice on 21st January 2021, pointing out issues in the interaction of national insurance and income tax and the need for the government to address inequalities in the tax system:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, I am delighted that my good friend and close colleague the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans secured this debate. I congratulate him on bringing these reports from Church Action for Tax Justice to wider attention. I urge the Government to assess and act on them.

I particularly endorse the right reverend Prelate’s drawing attention to the often pernicious interaction of income tax and national insurance so-called contributions. The reality is that such “contributions” are no such thing. These are two direct tax systems working alongside each other, but crucially not together, and often unfairly. This is exacerbated when the impact of other taxes, such as council tax, is factored in.

Bishop of Portsmouth speaks in debate on role of the armed forces in “Global Britain”

The Bishop of Portsmouth spoke during a debate on the role of the UK armed forces in the government’s Global Britain agenda, raising the issue of the Armed Forces Covenant and the need to support the wellbeing and mental health of members of the armed forces and armed forces veterans:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, if the Armed Forces are to continue to promote global Britain, we must look after them and fulfil our obligations under the Armed Forces covenant. Research by the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland points to the difficulties that veterans are encountering in getting benefits assessors to understand post-traumatic stress disorder when scoring health assessments for disability benefits. One stated that:

“I supplied a consultant psychiatrist’s letter stating all my mental health conditions. I scored zero. This is laughable”.

I agree. A government spokesman has said that the report would be given careful consideration, but consideration must be given both carefully and urgently if we are to continue to promote global Britain.

Hansard

Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill: Bishop of Portsmouth speaks at second reading

On 20th January 2021, the Bishop of Portsmouth spoke at the second reading of the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, questioning the effectiveness of the legislation and potential repercussions on legitimate claims against members of the the armed forces:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, reflecting on the Bill, its intentions and likely legal effect reminded me of something I learned during my time as chaplain of Wadham College, Oxford, during the febrile days of the 1980s. Wadham was then, as now, a crucible of intellectual innovation, not least in literary studies. Its senior English fellow then was Terry Eagleton, who interested himself in a method of criticism known as deconstruction. This meant, I think, that the story we thought we were reading or being told was undermined by another narrative hidden within the text, so what we might have thought meant one thing often meant something entirely different.

The Bill before the House represents a model of deconstruction. The Government’s stated intention is, as we heard in the gracious Speech,

“to tackle vexatious claims that undermine our Armed Forces”.

I regret to say that I cannot see how the Bill, as drafted, fulfils that intention. The Government may then deserve two cheers for acting when other Governments have not, but action is not the same as outcome. The good intentions of Ministers and their statements in Parliament and the media do not match what the Bill will do. The Bill would do what the Bill states, not what the Government would like it to do, or what an MoD press release announces as its objectives. I leave it to other noble Lords far better qualified than I to reflect on the very troubling risk that the Bill might lead to crimes of torture going unpunished as well as providing an attractive precedent for those countries that have historically accepted lower standards than our own.

Bishop of Portsmouth urges Government to keep uplift in universal credit for those ‘on cliff edge’

On 3rd December the House of Lords debated the Chancellor’s November Spending Review statement. The Bishop of Portsmouth took part in the debate:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, I was delighted to hear the Chancellor stress that the Government would continue to support the most vulnerable, but the proof of that assertion will be in how much money the Government are prepared to provide. That will be the barometer of what and who they consider most important. I therefore join my voice to those profoundly deprecating the proposed cut in development aid. I urge the Government to think again. Continue reading “Bishop of Portsmouth urges Government to keep uplift in universal credit for those ‘on cliff edge’”

Bishop of Portsmouth welcomes integrated review of foreign, defence, security and development policy

On 23rd November the House of Lords heard a Government statement on its integrated review of foreign, defence, security and development policy. The Bishop of Portsmouth asked a question:

The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth [V]: My Lords, I welcome this announcement, with its impact on jobs and industry, including in the diocese I serve. I note the welcome emphasis that the Government appear to give to defence and security. Will the Minister therefore recognise that previous defence reviews set out grand, strategic ambitions but were not backed by the necessary resources? Will she specifically confirm the Government’s commitment to providing those resources to match the ambitions of the review, and will she further recognise that as we wait for spending commitments on development aid and public sector pay, how much the Government propose in additional investment is an accurate barometer of what they consider to be most important? Continue reading “Bishop of Portsmouth welcomes integrated review of foreign, defence, security and development policy”

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