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Dept Head Parliamentary Affairs for CofE & Church Commissioners. Loves Music, history, politics, gardening & cooking. Personal views

Abbots Langley / Westminster
Joined April 2014
Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)Photo by simon.stanley (@SimonDStanley)
Today the Bishop of Bath and Wells joined the House of Lords supported by the Bishop of Chelmsford and St Edmundsbury & Ipswich.
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“This ministry fosters hope, dignity and a sense of belonging for everyone in our communities.” The Bishop of Hull joined the Chief Executive of Church Urban Fund, the Rt Rev Rob Wickham, at the Rough Sleeping Summit hosted in Downing Street. 📰 cofe.io/RoughSleepingSummit.
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Preparing for the introduction of the Bishop and Bath and Wells tomorrow by watching Hot Fuzz. Perfect night in after work.
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Good to join Bishop Rick for his Introduction to the House of Lords today as Bishop of Durham.
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Been seeing a lot about Lime Bike jousting today. Nice to see the old traditions being passed on the next generation.
I’ve been in London Fields tonight, watching the first ever Lime Bike joust - here’s a thread of my best shots:
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Here’s a new @commonslibrary briefing on the Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill, which will complete its Commons consideration next Wednesday (link in next post). In short, this’ll allow PMs of the Jewish and Catholic faiths to advise King on CoE apts
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For me, Choral Evensong is one of the crowning inventions of the Anglican Church, and one of the best free musical experiences to be had in this country. JR telegraph.co.uk/radio/what-t…
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Learning so much about myself. Thank you @jacobsanthouse #dyslexia
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Great to see this piece about Choral Evensong by a sitting MP. “We should not celebrate this simply as a remarkable broadcasting survival story. We should celebrate it because it represents something much bigger: a living part of our cultural heritage.” theguardian.com/music/2026/o…
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Today I was in Leicester for the first time. Having answered a vast number of parliamentary questions about the burial of Richard III it was nice to finally see the refurbished Leicester Cathedral and the memorial.
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A fun afternoon discussing Church, State and UK politics with the senior bishops of Scandinavia and Britain who form the Porvoo Communion.
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What does it take to become the first woman to hold one of the most senior positions in British public life? At our Women Who Lead panel at Mansion House, we heard from three women who have each broken new ground: Dame Antonia Romeo, Dame Sarah Mullally and Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill. As the first women to hold their respective offices, they shared honest reflections on leadership, resilience, self-belief and the importance of having people who support and encourage you along the way. The conversation brought together leaders from across the Civil Service, faith and the judiciary to explore how we can inspire more women to step forward and take on leadership roles. Because representation matters. Seeing women in these positions today can help the next generation see those positions as possibilities for them too. @ArchbishopSarah @JudiciaryUK @cabinetofficeuk
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People said "how can the Lords reject/delay something the Commons wants: isn't that un-democratic?" But the Commons, presented with the same bill, and having heard the Lords, thought again and voted it down. Ours is a deliberative democracy: argument, reason, checks & balance.
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Churches across this country and around the Anglican Communion work tirelessly to support their parishes and communities. It was good to welcome the former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, to Lambeth Palace today, where we talked about the role that churches play in addressing poverty and expanding opportunities for children and families here and around the world.
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These men are apparently going to church, but it would seem that they aren’t paying much attention when they are there. Christ's command is to love our neighbour. A love that recognises all people are made in God's image and should be treated with dignity, not demonised.
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Welcome to @hiddenwiring_uk - a new podcast with me and Alun Evans that explains the world of Westminster and Whitehall and seeks to inform, not distort. Episode 2: Number 10 of the North, is here: eur02.safelinks.protection.o…
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My first job was washing pots and planting seeds in the greenhouses of the large local garden. This developed over the years into helping run the garden which we opened for charity regularly. Monty Don featured it in Real Gardens” on Channel 5 and it was such fun learning from him as we worked in the gardens along with Peter and Sue Tomson, such lovely memories of people passionate about plants. I will miss my weekly dose of Monty.
Monty Don has announced he is stepping down as presenter of BBC Gardeners’ World, after 23 years.
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As the The Church of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 chaplain for RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station I pray for and support the sterling work done by staff and brave volunteers. They are funded by charitable giving and are guided by HM Coastguard to save lives at sea. It takes courage to head into a storm
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St Paul’s Cathedral has been at the centre of arguments about church buildings in Britain for centuries. Here's a thread with some of the history, and why it becoming part of today's culture wars is nothing new... 1/
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I remember being amazed as a child seeing this in Bayeux. So good to see it over here on loan, so more people can see the beautiful work of art and shared cultural history. #EntenteCordiale
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