An SNP MP has said that bishops should have their “privileged” reserved position in the House of Lords removed. Edinburgh East MP Tommy Sheppard will lead a debate calling for Anglican bishops to no longer be granted guaranteed seats in the upper house of Parliament.
There are currently 26 seats in the House of Lords reserved for Church of England bishops. Sheppard believes it is unfair that the Church of England has a guaranteed role in Parliament, and will lead a Westminster Hall debate on Thursday about Bishops’ place in the House of Lords.
He said: “I don’t think people should be represented in the Lords on the basis of their religious beliefs at all. We should have a secular legislature where people are either elected, or if they are appointed, they are appointed because of their expertise in general.