UK bill would lift historic restrictions on Catholic and Jewish prime ministers 

A new law proposed in the United Kingdom would allow British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to carry out all of his duties.

Burnham, who is Catholic, is prohibited from advising the king on appointments to the Church of England by the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829. A similar law passed in 1858 restricting Jews from doing the same.

Burnham’s Labour government introduced a bill last week to eliminate both restrictions.

Catholics and Jews are allowed to be prime minister, but the old laws stop them from participating in certain church appointments in the monarchy. The laws don’t apply to people of other faiths, such as Muslims, or irreligious politicians.

It has not been an issue for recent prime ministers. However, Burnham, who took office this summer, is Britain’s first openly Catholic prime minister. For now, he has handed the church appointment duty to Lord Chancellor Alex Norris.

Burnham opposes the current law, calling it discriminatory.

“It is, however, unacceptable for there to be a legislative bar against people of any faith performing all the functions of my office,” he said in a Sept. 10 statement to Parliament.

The issue goes back to the king’s role in the Church of England. King Charles III is its supreme governor. When the church picks someone for a senior post, such as a bishop, the prime minister formally sends the name to the king.

The prime minister also advises the king on whom to name as his representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

A Catholic or Jewish prime minister who gave that advice despite the ban could be “disabled forever from holding any office, civil or military, under the Crown,” according to the bill’s official notes.

The proposed legislation would also let Catholic or Jewish ministers name clergy to church posts when their office gives them that power. The Lord Chancellor, for example, can nominate clergy for about 450 parish posts. Under the old laws, that power goes to the Archbishop of Canterbury if the Lord Chancellor is Catholic or Jewish. A 1986 change ended the restriction for most Church of England parishes, but it can still apply in rare cases.

The change would have little effect on how the Church of England picks its leaders. The church picks the candidate before the name goes to the prime minister. Still, Burnham cannot carry out his part of that process under the current law.

Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain called the ban “one of the last remaining legal instances of religious discrimination in public office,” the Times reported.

Heartlander News previously covered Burnham’s rise to prime minister after Keir Starmer stepped down. His faith has now brought a long-ignored law back into view.

The measure has had its first reading in the House of Commons. Its second reading hasn’t been scheduled. The Commons is on recess until Oct. 12, and the government wants to move the bill through Parliament quickly.

The bill still needs approval from both houses of Parliament, the Lords and Commons. Burnham’s Labour Party holds a large Commons majority, and the Church of England hasn’t opposed the change, meaning it is likely to pass.

(Image credit: Created with Gemini AI)