The Isle of Man’s parliament has taken further steps to remove a bishop’s right to vote in Tynwald.
It comes after a call from House of Keys member Lawrie Hooper that was initially thrown out.
Under the law change the Bishop of Sodor and Man, who automatically holds a seat in the Legislative Council would be stripped of his voting rights.
Hooper argues the system that automatically appoints people into positions of “power and authority” without election goes against the “concept of democracy.”
A vote was taken in the House of Keys on Tuesday to grant Hooper leave to introduce legislation that would strip the head of the Manx church of his voting rights.
13 members voted in favour of the move, while 11 voted against it.
The Bishop of Sodor and Man, the Right Reverend Peter Eagles retired from his position in October 2023.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Heather Preston
Heather Preston is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
