M

Member

Speaking in the House of Lords on 12 March 2025

Debate

House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

Contribution

We must always consider this alongside all the links it makes with other bits of our constitution. The noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, referred to the Writ of Summons; he was talking about the Writ of Summons of Peers in general. I recommend an excellent article by the Reader of the Temple, the Reverend Mark Hatcher, in the Ecclesiastical Law Journal. We are summoned in the name of our faith and allegiance to the King—that is what binds us—but the Bishops are summoned in the name of their faith and love for the King. It is an interesting distinction, which shows the historic closeness of the Church in this country, and the whole idea of the establishment in its proper sense, to other institutions and the monarchy. We should not forget the famous phrase that people used to use to defend our constitution, “No bishop, no King”. They were very closely linked—so let us be a bit careful about how we go on this.

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