The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 10th October 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to move the British Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about Israel: Embassies”
On 9th September 2022 the House of Lords met to hear tributes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose death had been announced. The Bishop of Southwark paid tribute:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, it was profoundly moving to sit together in this Chamber and listen to His Majesty the King speaking to the nation and Commonwealth of his profound thanks to his mother, Her Majesty the late Queen, and of his commitment to follow her example of selfless service. That resonated deeply.
I wish to share two conversations that I heard while travelling here today. One was on the Underground, when someone looked across and said, “You must be busy at the moment”. Guessing what this was leading up to, I said, “How is the news of the Queen’s death affecting you?” He said, “I’ve just been with my mum, who came to this country 70 years ago; she is now 74. She has only ever known the Queen and she is devastated. I too am full of sorrow”. And on we talked. Then, to get here in good time, I hopped into a black cab. The cab driver, when he knew where I was going, also put two and two together. He dropped me off and said, “That one is on me, Father. We are all sharing in this”. And so it is.
Continue reading “The Bishop of Southwark pays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 21st July 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the joint submission by Human Rights Watch and Lawyers for Justice on the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to the UN Committee Against Torture at its 74th Session, 12–29 July; and what discussions they have had with the Palestinian Authority as a signatory of the Convention Against Torture. [HL1586]
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks a question regarding a submission to the UN Committee Against Torture”
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 21st July 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to relocate (1) interpreters, (2) security guards, and (3) other locally employed government staff, who are still in Afghanistan, back to the UK; and what is the timescale for that relocation.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about plans to relocate Afghan interpreters and security staff”
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 5th July 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the case of the Azeri imam Sardar Babayev, who has been arrested on a charge of treason, and (2) the state of human rights in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about human rights in Azerbaijan”The Bishop of Southwark and the Bishop of Guildford spoke in a debate on the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the future of the Commonwealth on 30th June 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Howell of Guildford, for securing this timely debate. There is a tension throughout the history of the Commonwealth in its structure between cohesion and comprehension; between the fullest capacity to relate, and demands of function and utility. When the Imperial Conference of 1926 adopted the London declaration that the United Kingdom and dominions were
“autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs”—
comments which I think still resonate in terms of the last speech—the competing argument of imperial federation was in terminal retreat.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark and Bishop of Guildford speak in a debate on the Commonwealth”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 20th June 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 30 May (HL275), whether they have had discussions with the government of Israel regarding the international law implications of evictions of Palestinian residents from Masafer Yatta; and if they have not, whether they will now do so.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about Israel: Palestinians”On 16th June 2022, the House of Lords debated the co-location of the Houses of Parliament. The Bishop of Southwark spoke in the debate:
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth, for securing this debate and bringing to it his distinguished record as a scholar of our constitution and of Parliament. My own contribution to the debate will, I think, chime with much of what we have heard already from noble Lords.
I wish to make a few simple points. First, we are two Houses but one Parliament, a point that has already been made. Secondly, although Covid has taught us much about the flexibility afforded by current technology, as did universal postage, the telegram, and the telephone in their day, it has also taught us a good deal about the importance of physical proximity. Finally, as has been eloquently pointed out, to separate out what was never meant to be put asunder will mean that the role of this House and its usefulness will diminish, and the capability of Parliament with it.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark speaks in a debate on the Houses of Parliament”The Bishop of Southwark asked a question in a debate on Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries on 16th June 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, does the Minister recognise that among the devastation of whole towns and cities in Ukraine is included the destruction of churches, mosques and synagogues, and the looting of museums? Will Her Majesty’s Government fund technical assistance in the rebuilding of religious centres and aid Ukrainian authorities in the listing of stolen artefacts and antiquities with the Interpol stolen art database?
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks a question on the war in Ukraine”The Bishop of Southwark asked a question in a debate on the government’s immigration policy and deportations to Rwanda on 15th June 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, in response to the Home Office Oral Statement, we on these Benches ask if it is not immoral that those who are to be deported to Rwanda have had no chance to appeal or to reunite with family in Britain. Is it not immoral that they have had no consideration of their asylum claims, recognition of their medical or other needs, or attempts to understand their predicament, given that many are desperate people fleeing unspeakable horrors?
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks a question on immigration”
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.