Row over appointment of female cleric as Commons chaplain
By Andrew Hough and Richard Savill
An attempt to block the appointment of a white man to a senior clerical post within the House of Commons has been branded “political correctness” by his congregation.
John Bercow, the Speaker, reportedly stepped in to prevent Canon Andrew Tremlett being promoted to the position of Commons Chaplain.
He is said to favour the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, a Jamaican-born priest and the current vicar of a hugely deprived parish in east London.
She is set to be named within days as the chaplain in the first such appointment to the centuries-old role.
Sources close to the negotiations said Mr Bercow refused to accept "another white middle aged man" and instead wanted a “priest with the personal and popular touch”.
Sally Barnes, spokesman for Women and the Church, backed the decision saying Mrs Hudson-Wilkin was a “worthy candidate”
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