A week in which everything else paled into insignificance after the killings at the Heaton Park synagogue.
The Archbishop of Canterbury
On Friday, it was announced that the Rt Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, is to be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The next stage of the appointment process is the Election by the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral, which will take place before Christmas. On 28 January 2026, there will be a Confirmation of Election at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, at which Bishop Sarah will legally become the Archbishop of Canterbury. In March there will be an Installation (sometimes referred to as an ‘enthronement’) at Canterbury Cathedral, which denotes and marks the start of the new Archbishop of Canterbury’s ministry.
When her election is confirmed, London becomes void and up to that point she can sit and vote in the Lords as Bishop of London, but afterwards will need to be re-introduced as Canterbury.
Charity law and sermons
The Charity Commission has issued formal guidance to a Welsh church following concerns over a sermon at its premises that allegedly promoted coercive behaviour. Tabor Baptist Church, Llantrisant, which registered as a charity in July 2024, was reported to the Charity Commission in October last year by the National Secular Society (NSS) over a video of a sermon uploaded to YouTube earlier that year, in which Pastor Andrew Love said that when a wife “fails to submit to a husband: she usurps his authority, doesn’t listen to him, wants to be the leader, and the marriage is in great difficulties”.
The Commission opened a compliance case, which has now been completed. Civil Society reports that the Commission has concluded that the sermon “as a whole, contained content that provides context for the charity’s intended religious message”. It has issued formal regulatory advice and guidance to the charity. In a message to the NSS seen by Civil Society, the Commission said:
“Our advice included highlighting what constitutes coercive behaviour, reminding them of their safeguarding duties towards their beneficiaries and around strengthening relevant policies and procedures. We determined that no additional regulatory action is required by the commission at this time.”
It added that its investigation had found that the charity had not breached its objects or legal duties and that the matter was therefore closed.
Newbury Park Masjid
The Charity Commission has appointed an Interim Manager to Newbury Park Masjid (registered charity number 1118363) after a statutory inquiry in June 2024 to investigate concerns about trustee elections and the charity’s general governance. The Interim Manager, Khalid Sofi of Lee Bolton Monier-Williams LLP, will set up and run a membership recruitment campaign to admit those persons who satisfy the membership criteria in the charity’s governing document, while taking steps to ensure the local community is engaged in the process, carry out a comprehensive review of the charity’s governing document, hold an Annual General Meeting for members to elect trustees, and induct the new trustees. The Commission’s inquiry into the charity continues.
Consistory court judgments
During September, we received a record number of consistory court judgments (18). We posted a summary of these on Friday, here, and are grateful to Ray Hemingray, the Registrar of Norwich, and other Chancellors instrumental in the preparation of summaries of judgments.
Some of the regular features such as Privy Council Orders, CFCE determinations, Tribunal Determinations &c were absent since there had been no changes in these over the summer period (much to our relief!).
Employment law
Trowers & Hamlins reports that the Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted its updated Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations (the Services Code) to the Minister for Women and Equalities. Once it has ministerial approval, it will be laid before Parliament for 40 days before it comes into force. A consultation on updates to the Services Code took place between October 2024 and January 2025. Following the Supreme Court’s judgment in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers, which we noted briefly here, the EHRC published an interim update. There was another round of consultation between May and June 2025 on updates to the Services Code to reflect the judgment.
Conor Gearty RIP
Conor Gearty, Professor of Human Rights Law at LSE, a founder member of Matrix Chambers and a major UK figure in the academic study of human rights, died suddenly on 11 September at the age of 67. There is an obituary by Owen Bowcott in The Guardian, here, and an appreciation by David Allen Green, here.