MP uses Bill to condemn Church discrimination over women bishops

Diana Johnson (Hull North) said despite the theological arguments having been won, opponents of the reform remained dug in, meaning there was little prospect of change coming from within the Church.

The Church was plunged into crisis in November when its General Synod voted down plans to allow women to take the senior roles.

And in a bid to force the issue, Ms Johnson moved a one clause Bill in Parliament, insisting, while she was reluctant to see Parliament intervene, the bar on women was unfair.

She said: “I certainly do not seek to have Parliament intervene in Church affairs lightly but in matters of discrimination it is very serious and we must speak up.

“We are entrenching sex discrimination in our Parliament by reserving 26 places in the Lords for men only.

“This is wholly wrong and we need to make it clear this discrimination is no longer acceptable in our Parliament.”

Ms Johnson said the current position was an “incoherent muddle” with no end in sight.

She added: “Both sides in this current conversation are further apart than ever.

“It appears opponents of women bishops will never compromise. The rest of society has moved on and the Church now just looks very odd by this decision.”

Tory Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) said while he was “agnostic” over the issue of women bishops, he did not believe it was for Parliament to seek to intervene.

He said it was important for Britain to have an established church to make clear it was still a Christian country.

He added: “I don’t think it is right for MPs to decide how the CofE runs its own affairs... I do not think it is for us as politicians to make that choice.”

Ms Johnson’s Bill is unlikely to make any progress through Parliament but will keep focus on the issue of women bishops.