A gay man won a landmark case of unlawful discrimination against the Church of England yesterday after a bishop refused him a job because of his sexuality.

The Bishop said he had made it clear to the man that a person in a sexual relationship outside marriage, whether they were heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or transgender, would be turned down for the post. The Bishop said that Mr Reaney’s behavior was contrary to official Church teaching and had “the potential to impact on the spiritual, moral and ethical leadership within the diocese”.

The tribunal found that Bishop Priddis should have considered only the present lifestyle of Mr Reaney, who is single, and he should not have speculated about potential future relationships.

So let me get this straight (pardon the pun) unless the man essentially brought his boyfriend to the interview and engaged in…uh…relations right there on the bishop’s desk there would be no way to judge the interviewee.

Delivering the judgment, the tribunal said the case would be listed for a remedy hearing and Mr Reaney is expected to be awarded substantial damages. This seems to be another example of England acting very European. I hate it when they do that. I so badly want to like those blokes. These cases don’t go away. Remember, even members of our Supreme Court look overseas for precedents for their own rulings.