Tag: Southwark

Bishop of Southwark asks about corruption in Zimbabwe

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question about corruption during a debate about treatment of opposition activists in Zimbabwe on 27th October 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the diocese of Southwark is linked with four of the five Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe and the neighbouring diocese of Rochester with the fifth, Harare. Does the Minister agree that the systemic corruption and long-standing poor level of governance in Zimbabwe continually undermine civil society and reduce the well-being of the people and all the institutions there, including the Church?

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Bishop of Southwark asks about prison sentences

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 27th October 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, what steps they are taking to resolve the situation that 608 prisoners under Imprisonment for Public Protection are at least 10 years over their original tariff.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about funding of non-governmental organisations in Palestine:

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 26th October 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government which Palestinian registered non-governmental organisations they fund; and with which they have contact.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about government response to raids by Israeli Defence Forces on a church and civil societies in Ramallah

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 11th October 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding a raid by the Israeli Defence Forces on St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ramallah on 18 August; and whether they have asked them to undertake an investigation into that incident.
  •  what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding a raid by the Israeli Defence Forces on the offices of seven Palestinian civil society organisations in Ramallah on 18 August.
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Bishop of Southwark asks about Israel: Embassies

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.

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The Bishop of Southwark pays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II


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.

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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 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]

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Bishop of Southwark asks about plans to relocate Afghan interpreters and security staff

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.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about human rights in Azerbaijan

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.

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Bishop of Southwark and Bishop of Guildford speak in a debate on the Commonwealth

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

The Lord Bishop of Southwark

“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.

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