The Bishop of Ely, the Rt Revd Stephen Conway, took a seat in the House of Lords on Monday as one of the 26 Lords Spiritual.

Bishop Stephen was introduced to the house by the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Tim Thornton, and the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell.

At a short ceremony in Westminster he read an oath of allegiance and was invited to sign the membership register.

Bishop Stephen said: β€œIt is a great honour to be summoned to Parliament to serve as a member of the Lords Spiritual. I make sense of this call as I hope to speak not just for the church and faith interests, but as a spokesperson for the concerns of citizens of our region.

β€œI have a particular passion to speak about education, mental health and disability.”

Some 26 bishops of the Church of England sit in the House of Lords. Known as the Lords Spiritual, they read prayers at the start of each daily meeting and play a full and active role in the life and work of the Upper House.