Religion and politics “don’t mix” was the launchpad statement for a breathtaking attack on the Bishop of Birmingham this week.

Coun Deirdre Alden, the Tory chairwoman of the health scrutiny committee, was outraged that the city’s religious leader was getting more and more involved in the political scene when he should be concentrating on the moral decline of Birmingham’s feral underclasses and falling congregations.

And what had the nice Bishop David Urquhart done to deserve such an attack?

He is chairing a Be Birmingham commission on social inclusion starting this month, a detail picked up in a report to the co-ordinating scrutiny committee.

The commission will look into the root causes of the riots and search for “a new approach that will bring lasting change to the quality of life of our most disadvantaged communities”.

Mr Urqhuart has also been putting himself about as a supporter for an elected mayor in the up and coming referendum, something which Coun Alden is also opposed to.

She told the committee that instead of moving in political circles, he should be more worried about the moral vacuum shown by those involved in the riots.

“What is he doing about that, does everybody know the Ten Commandments?” she asked.

He should also be more worried at dwindling congregations in the city’s churches, she added.

It was an amazing tirade which left many stunned and it took Labour deputy leader Ian Ward, an atheist, to leap to the Bishop’s defence saying that as a religious leader he does have a role to play in the city and positively welcome his contribution to the debate.

But Coun Alden was not finished, “We are elected, but who is he answerable to?” she demanded to know.

“I always thought he was answerable to God,” came the dry reply from committee chairman Alistair Dow, keen to move the debate on.

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With May’s elected mayor referendum on the horizon the campaigning is now moving up a gear and Sion Simon showed this week why he has to be considered the front-runner.

With a two-year head of steam already behind him, lobbying, networking and meeting various power brokers the former Erdington MP seems to be way ahead of his rivals for the Labour Party nomination.

And momentum is building as he is now actively raising funds for his campaign.

It was certainly an impressive little crowd who turned out for his lunch event with Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls at Marco Pierre White’s new Steakhouse Bar and Grill at The Cube – a mix of Labour Party councillors, activists from the pro-mayor ‘yes’ campaign, and various prominent members of business and professional classes.

It was a long way from the beer and sandwiches traditionally favoured by the Labour Party.

Although he did not explicitly say it, I think we can safely assume that Mr Balls is very much behind the Simon campaign.

Also on board is Sion’s close friend, the Labour Party deputy chairman and Murdoch-baiting celebrity MP Tom Watson, who was also at the lunch.