The Bishop of Lichfield has taken up his seat in the House of Lords.
The Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave joins the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, as well as 23 other Church of England bishops who currently sit in the Lords and together form the Lords Spiritual.
His work will be performed alongside his day-to-day role as diocesan bishop, leading a diocese which serves a population of over two million people in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, northern Shropshire and the Black Country.
He was sponsored by the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, and the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, as he took his seat in the Lords after swearing an oath of allegiance to the Crown.
Bishop Michael said:
“It is an extraordinary privilege to serve in the House of Lords.
“Across the Diocese of Lichfield, our churches, schools and chaplaincies are set in urban, rural and suburban settings, and our clergy and lay people serve very diverse communities. I look forward to the opportunity of speaking of the rich and varied experiences and challenges which we know in this part of the Midlands.”
The Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave
Bishop Michael became the 99th Bishop of Lichfield in September 2016, having previously served as area bishop of Woolwich in the Diocese of Southwark.
Before being consecrated as bishop in 2012, Bishop Michael served in parishes in Rutland, Japan and Leicester, as inter-faith relations adviser to the Archbishops’ Council and Secretary of the Churches’ Commission on Inter Faith relations, and as Archdeacon of Southwark.
He was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s Honours List in 2011 for services to inter faith relations in London.
