Parliament

Briefings, Clergy Discipline, General Synod, Parliament 2 March 2026

Parliament is being asked to approve a disciplinary system it is not allowed to see

Parliament is being asked to approve the new Clergy Conduct Measure without seeing the rules that will make it work in practice. “Public hearings” sound like progress — but what does “public” really mean? My new briefing examines the constitutional risks.

A Cartoon-style illustration of a church disciplinary tribunal panel of five seated figures (a central male judge, with a male and female clergy member on one side and a male and female lay member on the other) deliberating at a bench, while a separate senior judge figure looks down from above. A large magnifying glass and torch shine over them, symbolising scrutiny of the system.

Why does the Church of England describe child abuse as an “intimate sexual relationship”?

A satirical editorial cartoon shows a bishop in purple robes standing at a podium in front of the Houses of Parliament. In front of him is a small stack of papers labelled “Clergy Conduct Measure.” Behind him, partly concealed by a drawn golden curtain, is a tall stack of documents labelled “Clergy Conduct Rules,” suggesting they are being hidden. Opposite him, members of the Ecclesiastical Committee — including a woman with curly white hair wearing a cross — sit at a table with a nameplate reading “Ecclesiastical Committee.” One member speaks in a speech bubble: “Where are the Rules?” A judge’s gavel rests in the foreground.

The real Clergy Conduct Measure is still behind the curtain

Satirical cartoon showing Church of England figures on the left insisting that secret tribunal hearings are “normal everywhere”, while on the right MPs and peers demand “Open justice” and “No more cover-ups”. A giant gavel labelled “Parliament” smashes a pedestal marked “Secret Tribunal”, with Westminster in the background.

Even after Parliament called it out, Synod members are still being misled about secret hearings

Cartoon illustration of the Church of England’s General Synod chamber, shown in a wide, circular hall with tiered seating and a domed ceiling. At the top table sit two blindfolded archbishops, one male and one female, wearing red episcopal robes. Around the scene, six large magnifying glasses peer in from the edges, labelled Charity Commission, Parliament, Coroner, Police, Victims & Survivors, and Campaigners & Advocates, symbolising external scrutiny of the Synod proceedings.

When the regulator comes knocking, the Archbishops’ Council puts on the blinkers

Delay and control: the problems with the Archbishops’ Council’s safeguarding plans

Why the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 needs urgent review

The draft Clergy Conduct Measure: why approval without draft rules is untenable

Why I am publishing background briefings – and why they matter

Archbishops' Council, Clergy Discipline, General Synod, Parliament 12 January 2026

Why are clergy discipline tribunals still exempt from the Freedom of Information Act?

Clergy Discipline Tribunals remain exempt from FOIA—it’s time to demand transparency in church justice.

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