The Bishop of Lichfield has defended the right of clergy to stray into politics.

The Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill has used  July’s parish magazine in the Lichfield Diocese to comment on complaints he received accusing a vicar of being political.

In the magazine he writes: “Clergy are not employees but office holders, rather like MPs.  And, like MPs, their voice is safeguarded by law.  This was in place in former generations to protect their preaching against undue political pressure from the squire or even the bishop.”

He said: “Of course this precious freedom to preach the Gospel and its application in contemporary life without fear or favour is balanced by a responsibility to be a representative voice within the community and not to abuse the privilege of the protected pulpit.

“Most clergy know by instinct where the boundary lies and consult others when they are not sure and apologize if they get it wrong,” writes the bishop.

He believes many people have a  “misunderstanding” of the position of the Christian church in society. “This country bases its laws on values that come largely from the Christian bible. People of other faiths and none are to be respected of course, but other faiths do not have equal status within our constitution.

“It is no accident that our national flags  are based on the cross of Christ. Of course it is up to parliament in every generation to decide if this privileged stability of values is still right for us. But these things should not be undermined without proper information, reflection and debate.”