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Burnham introduces bill ending bans on Catholic, Jewish advisers

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 10:21 PM UTC · How we work

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Burnham calls archaic

Prime Minister Andy Burnham introduced Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill to end bans on Catholic and Jewish ministers advising on Church appointments.
The government plans a £200 energy-bill cut for fuel-poverty households and has readied Energy Price Protection Payment scheme for the January 2027 price-cap increase.
Burnham assigned the Lord Chancellor the advisory role on Church appointments while the bill proceeds.
The move was labeled archaic by Burnham.

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MPs demand cap

Prime Minister Andy Burnham introduced the Church Appointments Bill to lift bans on Catholic and Jewish ministers advising on appointments.
Labour MPs and trade unions demanded a £100,000 donation cap after Reform UK received £72 million from billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo.
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner said a retrospective cap could cover donors, including two billionaires.
Unison secretary Andrea Egan accused Nigel Farage of using crypto billionaires to undermine democracy.

History

Historical Context

Enacted in 2000, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act introduced a statutory donation cap and created the Electoral Commission to enforce transparency. A 2011 Kelly report later recommended a £10,000 annual donor limit and a 15 % cut to campaign spending. Recent discussions about tightening donation caps echo these reforms, aiming to curb large inflows to parties.

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Burnham calls archaic

Prime Minister Andy Burnham introduced Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill to end bans on Catholic and Jewish ministers advising on Church appointments.
The government plans a £200 energy-bill cut for fuel-poverty households and has readied Energy Price Protection Payment scheme for the January 2027 price-cap increase.
Burnham assigned the Lord Chancellor the advisory role on Church appointments while the bill proceeds.
The move was labeled archaic by Burnham.

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