Petition Referendum on the disestablishment of the Church of England

The UK is a diverse society with a wide variety of different religions and cultures. In the 2011 census, only 59% of people declared themselves to be Christian (this figure includes non-Anglicans). Despite this, the Church of England remains the official established Church of the UK, and as such enjoys special status above all other religious institutions - for example, the Queen is both Head of State and head of the Church of England. Moreover, Church of England bishops are granted automatic seats in the House of Lords - the Church of England therefore enjoys unique privileges in crafting legislation, which is profoundly unfair to other religious institutions.

We therefore call upon the government to hold a referendum with immediate effect on whether the Church of England should be allowed to retain its special status, or whether it is finally time to recognise that an established Church has no place in a modern, diverse and democratic society such as the UK.