Removal of bishop's vote progresses to final stage

The clauses of the Constitution Bill have progressed in the upper chambers of Manx Parliament

The clauses of a bill that would remove the bishop's political vote but retain their parliamentary seat on the Isle of Man have been passed by Legislative Council.

The Constitution Bill 2023 would strip the vote of the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, who presently has an automatic seat on the Legislative Council and the right to vote in both the council and Tynwald.

MLCs have progressed the bill to its final reading in the upper chamber which is set to take place on 11 November.

An amendment proposed by Gary Clueit, which would have seen the Right Reverend Tricia Hillas retain her vote until the end of her term, failed to carry despite being approved in principle.

He had argued it was "unfair and unreasonable" to change the terms of someone's appointment during their tenure.

'Ethical guidance'

Opposing the bill, Bishop Hillas said a constitution that allows for "influence but no account can erode public confidence".

The council also received a report from a committee comprising of Paul Craine, Rob Mercer and former MLC Bill Henderson who had considered the impact of the bill in further detail.

The committee found that the removal of the bishop's vote would likely lead to the Church of England reconsidering the future of a separate Diocese of Sodor and Man.

Kristie Morphet said it was "troubling" that stripping the bishop's vote could lead to the removal of the diocese.

"If a voice is truly grounded in moral and ethical guidance, surely they still have a place without a vote," she said.

'Speak truth to power'

Tania August-Phillips, who moved the bill through Legislative Council said that while members all "recognised the very important role the Lord Bishop plays, it is about balance and ensuring democracy continued to evolve".

Meanwhile, Paul Craine argued that the bishop was one of the few independent members who could "speak truth to power" and represented a pastoral role.

He described the move as "constitutional change on the hoof" and argued that it would reduce the number of voting members in Legislative Council to an even number, from nine to eight.

The bishop had held a seat and vote in parliament for more than 1,600 years, he noted.

The clauses stage was passed with five members in favour and three against, with those opposing the bill being Paul Craine, Peter Reid and Bishop Hillas.