City's first female bishop joins House of Lords

The Rt Rev Sophie Jelley swore an oath of allegiance in a short ceremony

The new Bishop of Coventry has taken her seat on the red benches of the House of Lords, after a ceremony in which she swore the oath of allegiance to the King.

Coventry's first female bishop, the Right Reverend Sophie Jelley, started work in the city in June after she was installed in February.

She has joined the Lords Spiritual, who have 26 places reserved in the unelected house for senior Church of England bishops, including the archbishops of Canterbury and York.

The 53-year-old, who was ordained in 1997, was supported by the Bishop of London and the Bishop of Sheffield.

Bishop Jelley served as curate in Shipley before spending three years in Uganda with the Church Mission Society.

She later went to hold a series of roles in the church, including serving as a vicar in Burgess Hill and more recently as the Bishop of Doncaster.

A keen runner, Bishop Jelley is married with three children. She is a soprano singer and plays the violin and viola.