Bid to remove bishop from Tynwald fails to gain support

The bishop has a automatically has a seat on the Legislative Council and a vote in Tynwald

A bid to remove the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man from the Manx parliament has been thrown out.

The bishop automatically holds a seat in the Legislative Council and takes part in debates and votes in Tynwald.

Joney Faragher MHK had called for the bishop's place on the body to be scrapped as a "fundamental principle of democracy".

An amendment that would have seen the post holder's vote in Tynwald removed instead was also voted down.

Ms Faragher said her objection to the bishop's role in parliament was "not personal in any way", but an opportunity had "presented itself" for politicians to take an "objective look at the principle of this matter".

The current post holder, the Right Reverend Peter Eagles, is due to retire from the role in October.

Right Reverend Peter Eagles thanks members for the way the debate was conducted

Arguing against excluding the bishop but removing his vote, Sarah Maltby MHK said the voting rights "blurred the line between religious and political power".

Supporting that, David Ashford MHK said although the current bishop and his predecessors had made some "very valuable" contributions to political debates, the post holder should not have the ability to "influence policy" by voting.

Juan Watterson SHK, who put forward another amendment to remove the bishop from the calculation of a quorum, said members should not shy away from making changes to the role despite its place in an ancient institution.

However, Rob Callister MHK urged members not to "vote blindly" on the issue "without fully understanding the consequences of their actions", as the removal of the bishop's place in Tynwald could lead to the island losing the role altogether.

The bishop himself called on members to consider whether there was scope for an independent "voice of legitimate dissent", who at times would vote with a minority to give them a voice.