AN MP has become embroiled in a row over whether prayers should be said at town hall meetings.

Politicians at Westminster last week debated whether a law should be created to legally protect councils who want to say prayers after a High Court challenge put the practice in doubt.

Bury councillors already say prayers before Full Council meetings and Bury North MP David Nuttall supports the practice.

But the National Secular Society has criticised the move, and has gone head-to-head with Mr Nuttall.

During the debate on January 6, Mr Nuttall said: "The society sent me its briefing on the bill.

"Rather strangely, it seems to suggest the bill might in some way be seen as divisive.

"The society seems to be complaining that the majority would be imposing their will on the minority, as if somehow the reverse would be perfectly alright."

Mr Nuttall, who is a practising Christian and a church warden at St Anne's Church in Tottington, added: "In Bury today, the Mayor chooses their own chaplain or representative to say prayers.

"Over the years, we have had a Muslim mayor and Christian mayors.

"At the moment, someone of the Jewish faith (Cllr Michelle Wiseman) is the mayor of Bury and she has chosen someone from the local synagogue to say prayers before the start of Full Council meetings.

"There is no obligation for others to be in the council chamber.

"They could be outside or sit in their place as usual and use the time to reflect on their moral code of beliefs, if that is their wish."

National Secular Society campaign manager Stephen Evans said: "Councillors who wish to do so are perfectly at liberty to meet and pray before the meeting, or have a period of silent reflection during it.

"We have no problem with either; that cannot reasonably be described as 'intolerant'.

"The effect of this legislation would be to compel all councillors to attend prayers during official business should councils opt to do so, or else force them to leave while religious observances are taking place if they don't want to sit through them. That is indeed divisive, and needlessly so.

"Councillors are not elected to practise a religion, and the majority of the country is not religious."

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