#UK #England – The Bishop of Salisbury Stephen Lake was suspended from ministry after two complaints against him moved to the next stage of a Church of England disciplinary process.
Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury, suspended the Absp. Stephen Lake on October 1, 2026, Lambeth Palace said. Church officials described the suspension as a neutral step under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 while the allegations were examined and Lake was asked to respond. Karen Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne, continues as acting Bishop of Salisbury.
The complaints arose from two separate matters. The first followed an investigation into alleged financial misconduct. In April 2026, Lake voluntarily stepped back from his duties in the Diocese of Salisbury, which covers most of Wiltshire, Dorset, and the Channel Islands, after allegations of potential financial irregularities involving two funds tied to the office of the bishop. Diocesan officials said those funds were separate from parish share and other money controlled by the Diocesan Board of Finance. Lake also resigned as a trustee of the Church Commissioners, the body that manages the Church of England’s investment assets. In early September, the church said the financial investigation had concluded and that a disciplinary complaint had been brought against him.
The second complaint followed concerns about Lake’s conduct that were raised with the National Safeguarding Team. Those concerns did not involve children, and Wiltshire Police did not open an investigation, the BBC reported. Church officials said the safeguarding concerns were handled under the House of Bishops’ code of practice and led to a separate complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure.
Lake, 62, was appointed Bishop of Salisbury in 2022 and was ordained a priest in 1989. In a statement issued after the disciplinary complaints were filed, he said he had cooperated fully with the investigations and looked forward to the chance to respond to the allegations. No findings had been published, and the cases remained open.
