Church ‘should lose legal right to discriminate over people’s sexuality’

♦ The Church of England should lose its exemption to discrimination laws, the Dean of St Paul’s has said.

David Ison said the Church should not retain its protections under the Equalities Act, which allow it to discriminate on the basis of sexuality, marital history and gender.

He was responding to the recent news that Canon Jeremy Pemberton, a gay priest who was blocked from taking up a role as a hospital chaplain, had lost his Court of Appeal case last month.

Dr Ison told Christian Today: “We have got to come to terms with the reality of the world we’re in and we’re not doing that. That is why we’re becoming disconnected from society.

“My view is that if there is a price to be paid for what you believe in conscience then you should pay that; you should not make other people pay the price for your conscience.

“That applies to abortion, to issues of sexuality and gender and right across the piste. If it is legal, decent and honest but you don’t believe it is right, then you have to deal with it.”

Mr Pemberton married his partner in 2014 and was subsequently blocked from officiating.

He accused the Church of breaking the Equality Act but lost his case after lawyers from the Church argued that he had “publicly flouted” its position on marriage.