A Bill introduced to the House of Commons will repeal a 19th-century law barring Catholic and Jewish prime ministers from advising the King on Church of England appointments, a restriction that currently applies to Andy Burnham as a practising Catholic. The Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill is one of the first pieces of legislation brought forward since Burnham took office, and the Government has described the existing rule, dating from the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, as an "antiquated and archaic anomaly" that should be corrected as soon as possible.

Under the 1829 Act, a Catholic PM breaking the ban risks being deemed guilty of a "high misdemeanor" and barred from holding office, though the role in Church appointments is largely symbolic, since candidates are selected by a Church committee before formal approval. In the meantime, Burnham has delegated the responsibility to Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Alex Norris. The issue was previously raised over Boris Johnson, seen as Britain's first Catholic PM after "reverting" to Catholicism when he married in 2021. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy criticised the Government for prioritising this Bill over primary legislation on prisoner early release, while the National Secular Society welcomed the change but called for it to go further.