Prime Minister

[squizza]

Can a Catholic become Prime Minister of England?

[Chillum]

As far as I'm aware there's nothing to prevent a Catholic becoming PM, although it's never happened.

[delilahcat]

Yes

[Hippy]

There is an Act of Settlement of 1701 preventing a Roman Catholic from becoming monarch, and also barring foreigners from taking Government Office. This was hatched up when Queen Anne, The last in the line of the Stuarts was on the throne and Parliament wished to curtail future European influence on our monarchy.

 

It didn't entirely work, as we got George I, Elector of Hanover, a German without a word of English, and scant regard for our traditions. 123 years later, Queen Victoria was officially the last of the Hanovers, but it was just a name change, it was still the same crowd of Teutonic weirdos. Edward VII decided that Saxe-Coburg-Gotha would be a nice name for the British monarch, however, with the outbreak of World War I such a German sounding name was thought a bit unpatriotic so Geroge V changed it again, this time to Windsor.

 

So, clever Parliament stopped a Roman Catholic monarch and a foreign Government Minister but allowed a foreign monarch and a Roman Catholic Government Minister. I don't think there has been one, but there are plenty of Jews in past and persent Parliaments, and some even Prime Minister.

 

See the text of the Act of settlement here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/monarchy/story/0,2763,407239,00.html

.

[Hippy]

P.S. I think the Prime Minister is of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or even the United Kingdom (that's a joke!), not just of England.

[rock1873]

Hippy I agree !!!!!!

[rock1873]

I asume England means Scotland ,England ,Northern Ireland and Wales ????????

[greenday]

Interestingly, it is thought that Blair will convert to Catholicism when he stops being PM. I think his wife is already, and he effectively is in terms of beliefs, but it would be too controversial to do so as a current PM. Charles Kennedy is RC and so is Ian Duncan Smith (remember him!), I don't know about Michael Howard though. So in answer to the question, there is nothing to stop a Catholic being the UK PM.

[LordyGeordie]

Michael Howard's Jewish.

[luckyboy]

Of course he can.

[GIRASOLE]

The question i asked included Scotland Wales and North Ireland.

[GIRASOLE]

The question i asked included Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland, its strange the question came out like that!!! Im scottish.