Seven-year Bernard Randall case ends in settlement

Evangelicals are celebrating after it was today announced that Church of England (CofE) chaplain Bernard Randall's seven-year ordeal has reached a settlement.

In 2019, Randall was referred to Prevent (the UK's counter-radicalisation programme, part of the Government's wider counterterrorism strategy), treated as a safeguarding risk, and effectively shut out of ministry for preaching a sermon rooted in CofE doctrine.

“Seven years have been taken from me for doing my duty as a CofE chaplain in a school with a CofE ethos," Randall said. "I encouraged pupils to think, to debate, and to love their neighbours whatever they believed. No minister, teacher or chaplain should be punished for upholding Christian teaching in a Christian setting."

Randall has secured a legal settlement with the school he preached in, Trent College, Derbyshire. He said he is "relieved" but that "nothing can restore the years that have been taken from" him. “The process and repeated delays has been an extreme punishment which has denied me justice for so long," Randall continued. "I still don’t really know what the [specific] safeguarding concern might have been.

"The Derby team explicitly said the concern was not the sermon, the London team were only interested in the sermon. No one from the Church has suggested there was misconduct or inappropriate behaviour on my part, let alone anything remotely abusive.

"I can only conclude it was opposition to the Church’s own teaching from within, coupled with an inability to own up to it all being a mistake from the start."

'Corruption within the Church'

“My case has revealed the extent of the corruption within the Church, our schools and in the judiciary, and should deeply concern us all," Randall said.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre – who supported Randall – said: “Bernard Randall has endured one of the most extraordinary and disturbing cases we have ever supported. It has always been and still is a huge scandal.

"Secular bodies repeatedly vindicated him, but the Church of England, the institution that should have supported him the most, repeatedly failed him."

Williams added: “Bernard Randall cares deeply and passionately about the Church of England. Many would have understandably walked away from it after how he was treated. Bernard has not and this courage has been immense.

“Bernard now deserves a future in the Church he has served so faithfully. Few clergy are better placed to understand the urgent need for reform, both in how the Church of England upholds and applies its own teaching in schools and places of worship, and in how its safeguarding processes are used and must not be abused."

'Deeply wronged'

Williams said the settlement with Trent College was a "significant moment" and claimed it was "an admission that Bernard was deeply wronged, revealing how a school can so badly lose its way once it bows the knee to transgender ideology". The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

She added: "Bernard’s case exposes how easily safeguarding process, equality policies and extreme transgender ideology can be misused to silence Christian beliefs. Schools, churches and public bodies must learn from this case and protect, rather than punish, lawful Christian expression.

“We call on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, urgently to meet with Bernard.”

Safeguarding

In 2019, a safeguarding referral led to Randall being prevented from ministry by the Diocese of Derby. According to Christian Concern, the diocese claimed that Bernard’s view of marriage was a "risk factor".

In 2021, Randall was reportedly told he had to undergo an independent safeguarding assessment by a psychologist. According to Christian Concern, Bernard declined this assessment "as the proposed terms of reference amounted to a tacit admission of wrongdoing".

Christian Concern says "that safeguarding position has now been overturned in substance." Following an independent review, an independent investigator for the Diocese of London found: "After full consideration and review of the available information I cannot establish, on the balance of probabilities, that harm was caused by the delivery of the sermons. This allegation is therefore unsubstantiated."

The quote continues: “My recommendation to the [Safeguarding Case Management Group] in this matter involving Dr Randall is that the investigation finds the concern or allegation was unsubstantiated and there are no ongoing safeguarding concerns."

According to Christian Concern, Randall has completed all mandatory safeguarding training and is now eligible for Permission to Officiate.

'Serving Jesus and His Church'

Randall concluded: “It has been an extraordinary journey, and one I never would have dreamed I would have had to bear.

"My faith and loyalty to the Church has been tested to the extreme. I have experienced many dark hours, but I have come through it and now want to get on with my life and get back to what I have always loved and been passionate about doing: serving Jesus and [His] Church.

“I want to thank my legal team and everyone who has stood with and supported me, and especially the many people who have prayed for me throughout this ordeal.

“It is time for the Church and our institutions to recognise what has happened to me and to ensure it never happens again.”

The situation has taken a long time to come to resolution for several reasons. Randall initially lost his Employment Tribunal claim in 2022. And then in 2025, the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that the earlier judgment was unsafe because of concerns about apparent anti-Christian bias by a lay tribunal member, and ordered a rehearing.

Writing on X, conservative academic Adrian Hilton, who specialises in political philosophy and political theology, said: "The Church of England should hang its head in shame... and a few bishops need to understand the difference between safeguarding and the doing of theology and philosophy."

en received this response from a Diocese of Derby spokesperson: “The Diocese is happy to continue supporting Dr Randall’s potential return to ministry as he decides whether and where to apply for a role.

"Over the past few months, through our ongoing contact with him, he has been signposted to current vacancies in the Diocese of Derby, Pathways, the Church of England’s recruitment portal, and to the Church’s Clergy Transitions Service which has confirmed that they are also available to provide further assistance.”

The Church of England has also been approached for comment.

This article was updated on 10 July.