Petition · past parliament
Remove bishops from Parliament
Rejected
13 signatures
What the petition asks
Abolish the Church Of England's privilege to appoint bishops into the House of Lords, and remove existing bishops currently sitting in the House of Lords.
26 bishops from the Church of England, selected by the church, sit as a matter of right in the House of Lords. No other faiths have this privilege, and nor do the other UK regions.
These bishops can vote on every law that is passed - even laws that the church doesn’t have to abide by because it has legal exemptions from Equality legislation.
Whatever goes on inside religious organisations, the Church should not be allowed to hold sway in the Houses of Parliament.
These bishops can vote on every law that is passed - even laws that the church doesn’t have to abide by because it has legal exemptions from Equality legislation.
Whatever goes on inside religious organisations, the Church should not be allowed to hold sway in the Houses of Parliament.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign this petition which calls for the same action: Remove all Bishops from the House of Lords
Timeline
| 1 Feb 2023 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 3 Feb 2023 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
13
Status
Rejected
Rejected
3 Feb 2023
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.