Can Justin Welby cling on?

MPs are getting involved in the row over Justin Welby’s position as Archbishop of Canterbury, with Conservative MP Nick Timothy requesting an urgent question in the Commons today. Pressure for Welby to resign has been building from various quarters within the Church of England’s General Synod and the wider church. As in politics, some are focused on specific issues, while others have broader grievances with Welby.

The current pressure stems from the Makin Review’s report on the Church’s handling of ‘serial child abuser’ John Smyth, a barrister and Christian leader who is said to have abused boys in a garden shed in Winchester. Smyth was reportedly shielded by senior figures within the conservative evangelical community, enabling him to evade justice or wider public scrutiny for his abuse.

Keir Starmer, asked whether Welby should step down, told journalists en route to the Cop summit in Baku that ‘that’s a matter really for the church rather than for me’.