Archbishop joins call for rethink on refuge Bill
The Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, is among more than 1,000 faith leaders from across the UK who have written to the Prime Minister urging him to reconsider the Nationality & Borders Bill. The leaders, representing the six major faith groups in the UK, said they are "horrified and appalled about the potential repercussions" of the Bill and called on the Prime Minister to make urgent changes "even at this late stage".
The letter, published today (Monday 28 February 2022), the day the Bill enters its final stages in the House of Lords - a crucial last opportunity to make changes - states: “While there is still conflict and injustice in the world, there will always be desperate people needing to seek sanctuary from war, persecution and suffering. We cannot close our door on them, but this Bill does just that.
“We assert that the values that bind UK citizens together, especially those concerning human dignity and life, will be fundamentally damaged by this Bill.”
In the context of rising global conflict, including this week in Ukraine, the way the bill undermines the UK’s ability to support all people fleeing conflict is even more prominent.
The letter calls on the Prime Minister to make substantial changes to the Bill. These include abandoning the government’s plans to criminalise and restrict the rights of all people arriving in the UK seeking refugee protection outside pre-arranged schemes, including those coming via irregular routes, such as by boats or lorries. The signatories say this policy was made ‘without a basis in evidence or morality’.
The signatories also assert that the government must urgently address the failure to establish safe routes through the Bill, which would help people seeking sanctuary reach the UK, saying that this failure fundamentally undermines its aims. They urge the Prime Minister to be ‘compassionate and ambitious’ in opening schemes such as family reunion, routes for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe and resettlement.
Representatives from communities in every county in England have signed, as have a broad representation in Scotland and Wales. Many faith groups across the UK have witnessed first-hand the positive impact of safe routes on people in their communities, working in refugee integration initiatives, community sponsorship programmes and providing emergency support to refugees recently arrived from Afghanistan.
The letter calls on the Prime Minister to show ‘political leadership’ and promote ‘compassion, human life and dignity’. Faith leaders have asked the Prime Minister to meet to discuss their concerns.
The letter was coordinated by the ecumenical Joint Public Issues Team, made up of the Methodist Church in Britain, Baptist Union of Great Britain and United Reformed Church, working with the Church of Scotland.