Not the cost of living or defence then? Andy Burnham's first Bill will give Catholic PMs a role in appointing CofE bishops

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 07:38 EDT, 15 September 2026 | Updated: 08:05 EDT, 15 September 2026 An 'archaic' ban on Catholic and Jewish prime ministers advising the King on Church of England appointments will be repealed under the first Bill presented to Parliament since Andy Burnham took office.Mr Burnham, as a Catholic, is technically barred from having input on top appointments to the Church of England. The Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829 states that anyone breaking this law shall be 'deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor, and disabled for ever from holding any office'.Now the Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill, being introduced to the House of Commons on Tuesday, seeks to remove that restriction as well as a similar bar on Jewish PMs.The PM's role in religious appointments is largely symbolic, with candidates interviewed and selected by a Church committee, on which the King is represented by the ecclesiastical secretary to the Crown and Lord Chancellor.According to official guidance from the Cabinet Office, approval from the PM and the King is only sought 'once a candidate has been chosen and accepted the post'.In the interim, Mr Burnham has transferred responsibility for advising on Church of England appointments to Alex Norris, the Lord Chancellor, so that Church appointments can continue. Andy Burnham, as a Catholic, is currently barred from advising the King on top appointments to the Church of EnglandThe Government said the short, targeted Bill will 'modernise the law to enable the PM, and any future Jewish or Roman Catholic PM to carry out the complete functions of their office'. Up until recent years the 19th-century restrictions had no practical effect as there had not been a Catholic or Jewish PM, and the restrictions do not apply to people of other faiths or of no faith.In July, Mr Burnham became the first PM to enter Downing Street with an openly Catholic faith.The constitutional conundrum over Church of England appointments was previously raised when Boris Johnson was PM.Mr Johnson is widely accepted to have been Britain's first Catholic premier, despite his having entered Downing Street in 2019 as an Anglican.When he was a baby, Mr Johnson was baptised into his mother's Catholic faith. But he was later confirmed into the Church of England while a pupil at Eton College.The Tory politician was then said to have 'reverted' to Catholicism when he married Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral – the largest Catholic church in England and Wales – while he was PM in 2021.It was reported at the time of his wedding that Mr Johnson would pass his duties on Church of England appointments to his Lord Chancellor, Sir Robert Buckland.Mr Burnham announced his intention to change the law in a written statement to Parliament last week.He said it was 'unacceptable for there to be a legislative bar against people of any faith performing all the functions of my office'.'The Government will therefore introduce a Bill at the earliest possible opportunity to correct this antiquated and archaic anomaly,' the PM added.Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, welcomed the announcement but called for the Government to go further.He said: 'These anomalies exist only because government remains entangled with the Church of England.'In a modern democracy, the state should have no role in appointing bishops. The long-term answer is a clear separation of Church and state.'Mr Burnham inherited his Catholic faith from his mother, Eileen, and attended Catholic schools during his childhood.He has previously spoken about how his non-Catholic father, Roy, was worried about meeting his mother's family for the first time 'as religion was so important in Liverpool then'.Roy Burnham died this week after suffering with Alzheimer's, with the PM cancelling his engagements on Monday and Tuesday.