Who will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury after Justin Welby resigned?

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation means a new leader of the Church of England must be found. From the steady hand to those more outspoken on matters of gender, sexuality and climate, here are the names the prime minister could take to the king

Justin Welby’s resignation as the Archbishop of Canterbury over his handling of historic abuse allegations leaves a vacancy at the top of the Church of England’s leadership.

He had been facing growing pressure to stand down over his “failures” to alert authorities about John Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse of children and young men.

Now the Crown Nominations Commission must select a successor, which will be taken to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, who will then submit it to the King.

These are the senior figures who could become the next Archbishop of Canterbury:

Stephen Cottrell

The Archbishop of York is the second most senior bishop in the Church of England, making him the obvious candidate to replace Justin Welby. On Tuesday he described Justin Welby’s resignation as “the right and honourable thing to do”.

Theologian and author Andrew Graystone said that while he originally believed Mr Cottrell, 66, would be ruled out because of his age, he could serve as an effective and popular interim leader while a long-term candidate is chosen.

Stephen Cottrell pictured with Welby on the day of the Queen’s funeral (PA)

Sarah Mulally

The Bishop of London is the third most senior bishop in the Church of England, and was in the running to be the Archbishop of York until Stephen Cottrell was chosen in 2020. She came to the ordained ministry later in life after serving as the NHS’s chief nursing officer.

She has a high public profile, having led Remembrance Day events at the weekend, and presides over a popular and growing diocese. Last year she described the Church’s welcoming of same-sex couples into the institution as a “moment of hope”.

Guli Francis-Dehqani

The Bishop of Chelmsford was born in Iran, where her father was an Anglican bishop, but fled the Middle Eastern country with her family as a result of the Islamic revolution, in which her brother was killed, in 1980.

She is outspoken on justice issues, and recently called on western governments to address Palestinian dispossession in occupied territories.

Helen-Ann Hartley

The Bishop of Newcastle led calls this week for Justin Welby to resign, describing his position as “untenable” and claimed that the church was in danger of “losing complete credibility”.

She told the BBC the public was asking whether the church could be trusted to keep them safe. “And I think the answer at the moment is ‘No,’” she said. However, her vocal stance may also reduce her perceived suitability for the top spot where other senior figures remained silent.

Hartley became Bishop of Newcastle in 2023 (AFP/Getty)

Rachel Treweek

Mr Graystone described Rachel Treweek, the Bishop of Gloucester, as an “extremely popular choice” who is articulate and effective both in the House of Lords and her parish, and is known for taking on tough issues.

In July she spoke out against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians by comparing its conduct to South Africa’s former apartheid policy. In 2015 she said the Church of England should stop using male pronouns when referring to God.

Martyn Snow

The 54-year-old Bishop of Leicester has been in his current posting since 2016. He was born in Indonesia and also worked as a vicar and youth chaplain in West Africa.

He has been the Church’s lead bishop in its Living in Love and Faith program, which grapples with questions of sexuality and doctrine.

Graham Usher

The Bishop of Norwich is outspoken on issues relating to climate change, and most recently called on the government to hit major polluters with higher taxes in the run-up to this week’s COP29 summit in Azerbaijan.