House of Commons Debates Church Appointments Bill to Remove Catholic and Jewish Restrictions
The British government stated this week as it moved to change constitutional laws that it is removing the last remaining discrimination against Catholics and Jews on the statute book, according to The Irish Times. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s administration introduced legislation in the House of Commons to allow Catholic and Jewish leaders to officially advise the British monarch on Church of England appointments.
Britain maintains no separation of church and state, with the Church of England operating as the official state church answerable to Parliament. A core constitutional duty of the British prime minister involves advising the reigning monarch—who serves as the head of the church—on the selection of Anglican bishops and archbishops. Mid-19th-century legislation explicitly barred Catholics and Jews from performing this advisory role.
Andy Burnham Becomes First Catholic British Prime Minister
Andy Burnham enters office as the first British prime minister to profess the Catholic faith. Under the previous legal framework, if Burnham followed his predecessors and advised King Charles on appointing a bishop, he faced automatic disqualification from all civil and military office.
Questions surrounding faith and the premiership previously arose under Boris Johnson. When Johnson took office in 2019, he answered No
when asked if he professed the Catholic or Jewish faiths, despite baptism as a Catholic in infancy and later confirmation as an Anglican in his teens. Reports indicate Johnson reverted to Catholicism while serving in Downing Street, marrying Carrie Symonds in Westminster Cathedral and baptizing their children there.
Prior prime ministers faced different circumstances. Benjamin Disraeli, who took office in 1868, was born Jewish before baptism into the Anglican church. Tony Blair converted to Catholicism, but only after leaving office in 2007. Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, and Keir Starmer, an atheist, faced no legal bars since the statutes specifically targeted Catholics and Jews.
Delegation and Practical Application of Royal Advice
The historical ban carried limited practical impact because prime ministers could legally delegate the duty of advising the sovereign on church appointments. During his tenure, Johnson delegated the responsibility to his Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland. Prime Minister Burnham has similarly delegated the power to Alex Norris, the current holder of that office.
Constitutional reforms introduced by Gordon Brown further limit the prime minister’s direct influence, as the premier only formally advises the monarch after a single candidate has already been selected and proposed by the church itself. UK government minister Hamish Falconer argued during Wednesday’s parliamentary debate that removing the statutory bar ensures a prime minister’s personal faith never prevents them from fulfilling all official duties.
House of Commons Fast-Tracks Church Appointments Bill
On Wednesday, the House of Commons debated and fast-tracked the Church Appointments Bill through its second and third readings alongside the committee stage in roughly 60 minutes. Lawmakers raised no opposition to the measure.
Jim Shannon of the Democratic Unionist Party welcomed the removal of the discriminatory bar affecting Catholics and Jews. Conservative MPs similarly described the restriction as an anomaly requiring correction. Following its passage in the Commons, the Bill proceeds to the House of Lords, where it is anticipated to clear without obstruction before receiving royal assent from the King to become law.
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