Overview
- The UK government announced her nomination on October 3 after an 11‑month search run by the Crown Nominations Commission chaired by Jonathan Evans, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approval and formal appointment by King Charles III.
- Her election will be legally confirmed by the College of Canons at Canterbury Cathedral in January 2026, followed by enthronement ceremonies.
- Mullally succeeds Justin Welby, who stepped down following an independent inquiry that found he failed to report allegations linked to abuser John Smyth to police when he became archbishop in 2013.
- A former Chief Nursing Officer for England, Mullally, 63, became Bishop of London in 2018; her rise was enabled by reforms allowing women priests from 1994 and bishops from the mid‑2010s.
- As the senior figure in a global Anglican Communion of more than 85 million, she faces calls to strengthen safeguarding and navigate divisions over the treatment of women and LGBTQ people alongside declining church attendance.