They said they would do it and they have. A group of church leaders – including a vicar from Tunbridge Wells – has launched a claim for judicial review of the English and Welsh governments’ decision to close churches during lockdown. Rev Peter Sanlon In total 122 church leaders from many religious traditions have filed the action against the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, claiming that the decision to ban worship services during the current lockdown is unlawful. The existing Covid regulations allow churches to open to organise vital voluntary work, for funerals or for private prayer but not for joint acts of worship. The churchmen are also challenging the Welsh Assembly’s decision to close churches during its three week ‘fire-break’ which ended on November 9, but which could be in place again in the New Year. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the clergymen are seeking a judicial review on the grounds that government restrictions on public worship breach Article 9 of the Human Rights Act – the freedom of religion. The action alleges that the government failed to discharge their public law duty of enquiry, especially by failing to ascertain the extent […]
