To the Department for Education and Members of Parliament and the House of Lords:
I affirm my unwavering belief that every parent - regardless of background - holds the inalienable right and the primary responsibility to guide the moral, religious, and educational upbringing of their children, in accordance with their conscience, values, and cultural or faith-based beliefs. Any attempt by the state to override this sacred duty constitutes a profound infringement on religious liberty, parental autonomy, and the very foundations of family life in this country.
If enacted in its current form, Clauses 30 - 35, and 36 - 42 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill would grant the state sweeping powers that are excessive, intrusive, and without proper justification. These provisions would impose burdensome registration, surveillance, and compliance requirements on parents and educational institutions. They would empower local authorities to monitor, interrogate, and potentially override the educational choices of families - even where there is no evidence of harm or neglect.
As a UK resident, and a committed supporter of family and educational freedoms, I am deeply troubled that this Bill disregards the flexible, values-based nature of faith and independent education. It imposes uniform secular standards that are incompatible with many religious traditions, and risks criminalising parents or educators who cannot, in good conscience, conform. In doing so, the Bill poses a direct threat to the freedom of families to raise children in accordance with their deeply held beliefs - a responsibility I consider a matter not only of conscience, but of moral and spiritual obligation.
The proposed legislation also contravenes several fundamental rights under the Human Rights Act 1998: Article 8, which protects the right to private and family life; Article 9, which protects freedom of religion and belief and Article 2 of Protocol 1, which obliges the state to respect parents’ rights in education. In addition, the Bill raises serious concerns under UK Data Protection law, permitting the intrusive collection and monitoring of sensitive educational and personal data without adequate justification or safeguards.
It also violates core principles of British constitutional law, including proportionality, restraint in state interference, and respect for the home as a protected sphere. By enabling state officials to overrule parental judgement and faith-based education - without clear limits, due process, or adequate safeguards - the Bill risks replacing trusted civic partnerships with coercive bureaucratic overreach.
I am a committed and law-abiding citizen who respects the rule of law and democratic institutions. However, when the legislative process produces measures that threaten the liberty and dignity of family life, conscience demands that I raise my voice. I therefore declare my principled and respectful opposition to this Bill in its current form. It is with a heavy heart that I say: if this Bill becomes law as drafted, I do not see how, in good conscience, I could comply with its demands. This is not a matter of personal convenience. It is a matter of identity - of who we are, and who we have the right to be as parents and people of faith. No community can survive without the ability to pass on its values and beliefs to the next generation.
I therefore urge His Majesty’s Government and Parliament to amend this Bill. As currently drafted, it undermines the long-established principle in British constitutional and common law that parents - not the state - bear primary responsibility for the moral and educational upbringing of their children. No democratic legislature can enact measures that violate this foundational tenet without risking serious conflict with the principles of proportionality, legitimate aim, and respect for private and family life, upon which its legal authority is contingent.