Archbishop of York - Church of England should have a louder political voice

In an interview with The Observer, Stephen Cottrell, who became the Church of England's second most senior clergyman when he was enthroned in October, said he wants the church to take a bigger lead in a political climate in which "we've learned to accommodate things that we know are wrong".

The 62-year-old told the paper: "I simply don't accept a separation between the church and politics, faith and politics or, for that matter, anything and politics.

"It's about how we inhabit the world - and everybody and every organisation and every community has a voice and a stake."

Mr Cottrell spoke to the paper in advance of the publication this week of his book Dear England: Finding Hope, Taking Heart and Changing the World.

The father-of-three has been a longtime advocate for the church's participation in social causes. Since 2011, he has served as chair of the Board of Church Army, an organisation based in Sheffield committed to evangelism and social justice.

Mr Cottrell said he could not be part of a church which did not have a political voice, adding: "It's so much at the heart of what I believe to be the calling of the church. Loving your neighbour is a profoundly political statement.

"We've learned to accommodate things that we know are wrong, which it would be possible to do something about."