MPs and peers appeal to Church

A GROUP of MPs and peers have urged the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury to stop the Church of England from spending £100 million on slavery reparations.

- HELEN CORBETT Press Association

In a letter to Dame Sarah Mullally, the former Bishop of Crediton, the 27 parliamentarians warn that the move could set a "worrying precedent" for other organisations to feel they must follow suit.

The plan is for £100 million from the Church Commissioners endowment to go into a separate charitable fund for "healing, repair and justice" that will grow over time and be used to invest in support for historically marginalised groups, in particular communities affected by historic African chattel enslavement.

The parliamentarians say the endowment by law is supposed to be used to support parish ministry, maintain church buildings, and care for the Church's historic records.