The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Southwark
Bishops
Member of the House of Lords
M
The Lord Bishop of Southwark's full title is The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Southwark. His name is Christopher Thomas James Chessun, and he is a current member of the House of Lords.
Allowance claims · 2026
Data not yet released for 2026 — the Lords Finance Office publishes monthly CSVs ~6-8 weeks after month-end.
Lords votes · 2026
162 divisions
5 Content(3.1%)
5 Not-Content(3.1%)
152 didn't vote(93.8%)
2026-04-13
Not-Content
135–154
Not-Content
Source: lordsvotes-api.parliament.uk. "Result" shows the headline
Content vs Not-Content tally (including tellers). The Lords doesn't
publish a "didn't vote" attendance roll like the Commons, so the
figure above conflates absence with abstention.
Recent Hansard contributions · latest 25
2026-05-21
King’s Speech
My Lords, I endorse what the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, said about the vile harm of increasing antisemitism in our nation. I am glad that widespread condemnation is being matched by solidarity and community action. I also welcome what the Minister said a
2026-04-16
Local Resilience Forums
My Lords, guidance on emergency preparedness issued under the Civil Contingencies Act to the emergency responders who make up local resilience forums includes reference in chapter 14 to use of the voluntary sector. This is often assumed to be where the
2026-04-15
Zimbabwe: Constitution
My Lords, as I have said on previous occasions, my diocese of Southwark is linked with four of the five Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe, and I have visited our link dioceses on many occasions. I note that the Zimbabwe Council of Churches has called this we
2026-04-14
Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules
My Lords, it is a privilege to follow noble Members of this House speaking with wisdom, compassion and conviction. I understand that, in the current polarised climate, the Government want an immigration policy that is not only capable of exercising contr
My Lords, I fully understand the sensitivities of the status of the islands in the light of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, but will the Minister confirm that such an opinion does not have the force of law? I impress on the Mi
2026-04-14
Middle East
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for coming to the House to answer questions on the Statement on the Middle East and to the Prime Minister for his diplomatic efforts in the Gulf. From these Benches, we believe that the initiation of this con
2026-04-13
Clerk of the Parliaments
My Lords, from these Benches I echo the comments of those noble Lords who have gone before me. I pay tribute to Simon Burton, whose service as Clerk of the Parliaments has been of lasting value to the House.
The strength of our parliamentary life depe
2026-03-27
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I am glad to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Fox of Buckley, because I added my signature to Amendment 673 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Fraser, as did the noble Lords, Lord Carlile and Lord Hunt of Kings Heath.
Allowing for some r
2026-03-20
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I support the amendments in this group, particularly Amendment 171 in the names of the noble Baronesses, Lady Nicholson of Winterbourne and Lady O’Loan.
Clause 5, as we have heard, introduces a key element in the infrastructure of assisted d
2026-01-30
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, I too wish to speak in good faith. That is what all our Committee consideration has been about, in almost every speech I have heard and listened to—and I have made an effort to attend a good number of sittings. I am very grateful to the Governm
2025-09-12
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I acknowledge with deep respect that those arguing for the passage of this Bill are often speaking from personal experience of the pain and suffering of someone’s final illness. Yet, along with many other speakers, I have deep concerns about le
2025-06-16
Conflict in the Middle East
My Lords, I pray for wise judgment and a swift end to the current conflict between Israel and Iran. I pray for restraint and for the safety and well-being of Jewish people, here and around the world. I support the steps that have been made to protect Bri
2025-06-12
Winter Fuel Payment
My Lords, like other Peers, I welcome this decision. The other day, I asked the Minister something to which he did not respond, and I wonder if I might ask it again. Is one of the lessons learned from this for the Government that, should they be making f
2025-06-12
Craft Industry: Support
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, for securing this debate and for his expertise.
Like the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chichester, who will speak later, I believe that cathedrals and churches are some of our nation’s m
2025-06-11
Holocaust Memorial Bill
My Lords, I support Amendment 2 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Russell of Liverpool, as it encapsulates my concern. I intend to speak briefly. During the debate on ping-pong on the data Bill on 2 June, the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, referred to some p
2025-06-10
Winter Fuel Payment
My Lords, I welcome the reversal of the decision on winter fuel payments, having spoken, like others, cautioning against so many pensioners who are vulnerable and in need being deprived of it—not against the principle of changing it and restricting it to
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister and to His Majesty’s Government for the Statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. May I press the Minister on two things? The first is the attack by Israeli forces on the compound of the Anglica
My Lords—
The Minister will recall from the amendment I tabled in Committee to what was then the Bill that my twin brother was an early beneficiary of SEND transport. Will the Government monitor the impact of national insurance increases on the effectiveness and c
2025-06-02
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, the diocese in which I serve covers one of the most diverse parts of the country. Indeed, arguably, south London is one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world. This diversity is often represented in our churches, which have benefite
2025-04-03
UK-US Trade and Tariffs
My Lords, I am grateful to the Secretary of State for his cautionary words in the other place, repeated here, about eschewing simplistic solutions and “loud voices”, following the imposition of these arbitrary and unwarranted tariffs, and to the shadow S
2025-04-03
Net-zero Emissions Target: Affordability
My Lords, this is a timely debate. I am very glad to be able to speak in it. I am reminded that the preacher in the Book of Ecclesiastes says:
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven”,
including—I dare to mentio
2025-04-03
Landmines and Cluster Munitions
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame, for setting out this important matter so clearly and to other noble Lords for their very evident expertise in this area.
The attempt to regulate behaviour in times of conflict is a very old on
2025-04-03
Sentencing Council Guidelines
My Lords, the independent Lammy Review of 2017, concerning the treatment of and outcomes for BAME individuals within the criminal justice system in England and Wales, identified disproportionate outcomes in a number of areas. I ask the Minister about two
2025-04-03
Sentencing Council Guidelines
My Lords—
Source: hansard.parliament.uk via hansard-api. Snippets shown
verbatim from the search API; click any debate title for the full record.
Register of Interests · 2 entries on file
Declarations under the Lords Code of Conduct. Free text — no monetary values, no hours worked. A declaration that an interest exists, not a claim about its size.
Category 1: Remunerated employment etc.
-
In receipt of episcopal stipend
registered 2014-12-23 · amended 2025-04-05
Category 3: Land and property
-
Residential property in North Cornwall from which rental income is received
registered 2014-12-23 · amended 2025-04-05
Source: UK Parliament Members API (Lords register). Refreshed weekly.
Read the full
Lords Code of Conduct
for what each category covers and the disclosure thresholds.
Party history
2014-11-11 → present
Bishops
current
Government posts
None recorded.
Opposition posts
None recorded.
Committee memberships
None recorded.
Contact
Parliamentary office
contactholmember@parliament.uk
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
Website
X (formerly Twitter)
APPGs (2026) · 1 active officership(s)
| Group | Role(s) | Funders | Officers in group | Next deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Christianity in the Holy Land
Subject Group
|
Vice Chair | Good Faith Partnership | 4 | 2027-02-22 |
One row per active APPG. Funder names link out via the
/appgs Top secretariat funders panel — click any funder
there to open its full relationship graph. Officer matching is name-based against
the parliament.uk register text and may miss titled / hyphenated variants.
Written parliamentary questions · 2026
Showing
13
of 13 tabled
11 answered(84.6%)
2
departments
2026-02-23
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
BBC World Service: Finance
Answered
2026-02-23
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
West Bank: Israeli Settlements
Answered
2026-02-23
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
West Bank: Israeli Settlements
Answered
2026-02-23
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Israel: Foreign Relations
Answered
2026-02-23
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
West Bank: Archaeological Sites
Answered
2026-01-12
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
Answered
2026-01-06
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Answered
2026-01-06
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Answered
Source: UK Parliament Members API. The amber "interest" tag is set
by Parliament's own system when the asking member has a register entry
it deems related — typically a paid role or directorship in the
sector being asked about. Click any "i" icon to see the full
question and the department's answer.
Bills sponsored & supported · 2026
0 bills
0 as lead sponsor
0 as supporter
No bills sponsored or supported in 2026.
Source: UK Parliament Bills API. "Lead" sponsor is the
primary mover (sortOrder = 1); "Supporter" rows are
members of either House who
backed the bill at introduction. Year is the bill's first-reading
date.
Historic bills (all-time)
0 bills
0 as lead sponsor
0 as supporter
No bills sponsored or supported on record.
Same source as the year-scoped panel above, but unconstrained by
year. The "Sponsored" tag = lead sponsor; "Supported" = backed at
introduction. Sorted newest first.