An academic and former Church of England priest has called for separation of Church and state in a new paper. Prof. Martyn Percy (pictured) has said “England’s time for disestablishment has now arrived” in a paper published in the Journal of Anglican Studies. Calling establishment “an outdated artefact from medieval governance”, Prof. Percy says a bill to end the Church of England’s established status is “long overdue” and “would command widespread support from within the CofE, across England, and throughout the UK”. He says: “While the UK can claim to have religious freedom, it regrettably lacks religious equality due to the CofE’s continued privileges compared to other religious organisations”. The UK state is constitutionally Christian. The Church of England is the established religion and the head of state, the monarch, is “Supreme Governor” of the Church. Additionally, 26 Church of England bishops are given seats as of right in the House of Lords (‘lords spiritual’). The National Secular Society, which has campaigned for disestablishment since its founding in 1866, welcomed the paper. In 2023 the …