Labour’s policy review provides a unique chance to influence Party policy. We are working on our formal responses to the review, all of which are aimed to help to create a more equal, ethical and secular Labour.
In brief, we would like Labour to consider the following policy options:
Faith schools
Labour’s policy towards schools should be inclusive and oppose discrimination:
- No new faith school allowed to discriminate in its admissions
- No existing faith school allowed to discriminate in admissions in the future
- No faith school allowed to discriminate against teachers (including hiring, firing, and refusing promotion) on religious grounds
And
- An end to compulsory collective worship in ALL schools.
Public services
Labour should take action to ensure public services are equal, inclusive, and protect and promote human rights.
All organisations,including religious groups working under public contract to provide public services must operate in an inclusive secular way. In practice that would mean:
- No discrimination on religious or other grounds in employment
- No discrimination on religious or other grounds against service users
- No religious element part of the service, including prayers or proselytising
House of Lords Reform
Labour’s policy to have a 100% elected Lords would have meant in practice abolishing the Lords Spiritual. However Labour should have a clear and principled policy against religious privilege in our Parliament:
- End the undemocratic ‘right’ for the Church of England to sit in our parliament
- No reserved seats for an religious representatives
- Allow Church of England bishops, and any other clergy or religious representatives, stand for election or be eligible for appointment to a reformed Lords but let that be on the same basis as everyone else
- Promoting equality and campaigning against privilege in our democratic arrangements
We welcome your comments, thoughts, and submissions, about what you think should be Labour’s secularist and humanist policy priorities. Contact us with your suggestions.