Bishop of Portsmouth enters House of Lords
The Bishop of Portsmouth has formally taken his seat in the House of Lords.
Bishop Jonathan Frost was formally introduced to the upper chamber yesterday morning (Thursday, November 23). He presented his summons from HM the King and swore his oath before taking his seat on the benches with his fellow bishops.
He is now one of the 26 Lords Spiritual, whose presence in Parliament reflects our constitutional arrangement, with an established Church of England and its Supreme Governor as monarch and Head of State.
Bishop Jonathan will continue to be the lead for the Church of England on education policy and intends to work particularly on areas of legislation related to schools, children, and special educational needs.
The Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Frost, Bishop of Portsmouth, was presented in the chamber by the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Rev Stephen Conway, and the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Martyn Snow.
Bishop Jonathan, who is 61, was ordained a deacon back in 1993 and as a priest the following year. Prior to becoming bishop in 2022 he was Dean of York, and had previously served as suffragan Bishop of Southampton, chaplain of the University of Surrey and as a police chaplain among other roles.
As Bishop of Portsmouth, he is responsible for the 129 parishes which make up the Diocese of Portsmouth, which spans south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Diocese of Portsmouth is one of only two dioceses in the Church of England that only has one bishop. There are no suffragan (or assistant) bishops.