Bishop Michael to take his seat in the House of Lords

Bishop Michael has been called to serve in the House of Lords as one of the Church of England’s Lords Spiritual. He will be formally introduced to the House of Lords at 2.30 pm Tuesday 27 October. The introduction will be streamed live on Parliamentary tv

On the Sunday 25 October, Bishop Michael will be preaching at St Paul’s Cathedral in London as part of Barts Health NHS Trust and St Joseph’s Hospice Service of Remembrance.

During the ceremony, he will present his Writ of Summons to the Clerk at the Table, take the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown and be directed to his place on the Bishops’ Bench.

Bishop Michael will continue his ministry as Bishop of Bath and Wells alongside his parliamentary responsibilities. Speaking about his new role, he said, “I am deeply honoured to have been called to undertake this responsibility. I look forward to representing the needs and interests of Somerset in the Upper Chamber, sitting as a non-political member who can work with people of all faiths and none, as well as with all political parties.

“I look forward to bringing my expertise in health and international development to my role.

“There will be an enormous amount to learn about how Parliament works. To enable this to happen, when parliament is sitting, I anticipate being in Westminster about one day a week as part of this role. I will also need to be in residence for two weeks each year to offer prayers for the House of Lords each day as it begins.

“In order to speak well for Somerset, it is going to be really important that I continue to significant time worshipping and visiting in parishes, schools, chaplaincies and communities. This enables me to hear the achievements, concerns, hopes and experiences of people across our county, so that I can better understand all that is happening.

“Every day, it is an enormous honour to serve the people of our county. I look forward to building on what I have shared with you over the past four years, and to extending that in in this new way.
Once introduced, Bishop Michael will be able to speak and vote on legislation, scrutinise government policy and take his turn leading daily prayers in the House.”

There are 26 places in the House of Lords reserved for Church of England archbishops and bishops. Known collectively as the Lords Spiritual, they reflect the constitutional place of the Church of England, with the monarch as its Supreme Governor.

Five of those seats are held by virtue of office: the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester.

The remaining 21 seats are filled by eligible diocesan bishops in England as vacancies arise.

The Service of Remembrance at St Paul’s Cathedral, at which Bishop Michael will preach, has been organised by Barts Health NHS Trust and St Joseph’s Hospice and is dedicated to the memory of those who have died.