26 May 2023
The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, was duty bishop in the House of Lords during the week beginning Monday 22 May . This Lords Spiritual role involves being on duty to respond to business in the House as well as saying prayers at the start of each day.
Monday 22 May
On Monday 22 May, Bishop Guli spoke in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, Committee Day 14 debate, welcoming a government amendment which will safeguard land held for church academies. You can watch Bishop Guli's speech below:
Tuesday 23 May
On Tuesday 23 May Bishop Guli asked a supplementary question about the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the persecution of Christians in Iran.
Wednesday 24 May
On Wednesday 24 May, Bishop Guli spoke twice during the debate on the Illegal Migration Bill, Committee Day 5. You can watch the speeches below
Thursday 25 May
On Thursday 25 May, Bishop Guli asked a supplementary question about rising food prices with reference to the Bounty Club project in Harlow.
Other duties
During the duty week, Bishop Guli also spoke in the debate on the Online Safety Bill, Committee Day 9 and asked supplementary questions on land use and about the 75th anniversary of Windrush.
The duty week also provided an opportunity for meetings relating to Bishop Guli's role as lead Bishop for Housing and she spoke at a reception at Lambeth Palace for the Just Finance Foundation, a subsidiary of the Church Urban Fund.
