Call for fewer bishops in Lords

THE number of Church of England bishops who sit as peers in the House of Lords should be cut to make way for leaders of other faiths, according to a landmark report.

The Commission on Religion and Belief in Public Life (Corab) also recommended that major national and civil events, including coronation ceremonies, should have a more “pluralist character” to reflect a shift in religious beliefs in British society.

Britons of all faiths and none needed a “new settlement” in public policy because the national picture had “transformed beyond recognition”, the report’s authors said.

Among the “striking” trends, the report said, was a rise in the number of people who identified as non-religious - now amounting to almost half the UK population.