Three Labour MPs have expressed support for the separation of the Church of England from the state.The church and the state are linked in the UK as the Queen, the head of state, also acts as the head of the Church of England.
Last week the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, sparked debate after saying it would not be "the end of the world" if the two entities were officially separated.
MP David Cairns, former Welsh secretary Alun Michael and former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle have all backed the idea.
The disestablishment of the church is also connected with another issue being looked into by the government- the proposed repeal of the 1701 Act of Settlement - which prevents a Roman Catholic from becoming the monarch.
Speaking to the paper about the disestablishment of the church, Mr Cairns said: "It is simply untenable in this day and age that should the heir to the throne want to marry a Roman Catholic he would have to renounce his rights. It’s absurd.
"But you can't just unpick that one thing. You have to think through the consequences. If Prince William married a Catholic what happens if their children are Catholic?
"You can't have a Roman Catholic head of the Church of England. So you have to have some way of resolving the issue of the head of state being the titular head of the established church.
"If the Archbishop himself is raising the prospect of disestablishment why not do something about it?"
Shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert has called on the government to explain whether it planned to make any changes to the Act of Settlement.
He also criticised the government for taking part in an act of "constitutional vandalism" without being aware of the consequences of the decision.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: "The Church of England is by law established as the Church in England and the monarch is its supreme governor. The government remains committed to this position.
"To bring about changes to the law on succession would be a complex undertaking. We are examining this area although there are no immediate plans to legislate," he added.
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