The next Archbishop

Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, is believed to be standing down in the next year. Graham James, the Bishop of Norwich, is tipped by church insiders to replace him. Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, is also in contention. He is a close friend of Prince Charles and wants the job, but his backing of the eviction of Occupy protesters outside St. Paul’s may count against him. Bishop James, a friend of Williams’s with a similar outlook, was formerly chaplain to Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury during the 1980s.

Giles Fraser’s occupation

Meanwhile, what future for Giles Fraser, the canon of St Paul’s who resigned over the prospect of evicting the “Occupy” protesters? One Labour official says Fraser would make a fine MP. A friend confirms Fraser is interested.

Blair’s downtime

Tony Blair’s tenure as Middle East envoy of the UN Quartet is getting less comfortable.