Most opposed to places for bishops in House of Lords - poll

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is one of the Church of England's 26 bishops in the House of Lords Parliamentlive.tv

Over half of Brits think that there should not be reserved places for Church of England bishops in the House of Lords.

The YouGov poll found that 53% of UK adults were opposed to places for Lords Spiritual.

Only 16% said they supported them, while nearly a third (31%) said they didn't know.

There are 26 seats in the Lords reserved for Church of England bishops.

The Lords Spiritual include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester.

The Archbishops and occasionally other bishops are usually made life peers upon their retirement.

A 2017 YouGov poll for The Times found stronger opposition, with 62% saying that no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats" and only 8% agreeing that there should be guaranteed seats for bishops.

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