The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby this week announced he will resign from the top job after the pressure piled on from Church of England bishops. The move follows the publication of the Makin Review’s report on the Church’s handling of ‘serial child abuser’ John Smyth – which suggested Welby did not deal with complaints well enough at the time. But the Archbishop’s resignation isn’t quite enough for everyone. Now politicians and pundits alike are calling for Welby to lose his seat in the House of Lords.
Richard Tice has blasted the Archbishop over the matter, with the Reform MP slamming Welby’s position on GB News. ‘I think his position is untenable,’ Tice remarked. ‘I suspect people have left for less.’ The Boston and Skegness politician found a fragment of common ground with Carol Vorderman, who took to Twitter to fume: ‘Justin Welby to quit as Archbishop of Canterbury over mishandling of child abuse scandal. Quite right too. And while Commons votes to do away with 92 hereditary peer places in House of Lords, they should do away with the 26 places for Bishops.’ Meanwhile No. 10 has declined to say whether Welby will receive the life peerage that is usually given to former Archbishops of Canterbury – with an insider informing the Mail it is ‘not automatic’. How curious.
Not everyone seems to think that Welby’s resignation is the right move, however. The wise oracles that are The Rest is Politics hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart both took to social media to express their regret about the Archbishop’s decision. ‘Very sorry to hear of the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury,’ Stewart lamented. ‘I have worked with him for a long time and have always been struck by his humility, openness, care and sense of public service.’ Meanwhile Campbell insisted: ‘Nothing I have seen or heard about the Smyth case has changed my view that Justin Welby is a good man with a good heart.’ Whether that will be quite enough to protect his place in the Lords is quite another matter…
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