Last Updated on 8 March 2023 by Ann-Marie Nye
The United Reformed Church (URC) has joined with the Baptist Union and the Methodist Church in calling for the UK government’s plans on tackling immigration across the English Channel to be abandoned.
Suella Braverman, UK Home Secretary (pictured), and the Prime Minister’s Office have introduced the Illegal Migration Bill in the House of Commons with sweeping changes to how those seeking asylum in the UK are treated.
The URC affirms that those fleeing persecution should have safe access to the UK asylum process.
In a statement, the Revd Fiona Bennett, Moderator of the URC General Assembly, joined with leaders of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Methodist Church in Great Britain, in saying:
“We are appalled by the proposals in the government’s ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ to detain, punish and reject thousands of people seeking safety. They are completely incompatible with our Christian conviction that all human beings are made in the image of God and are therefore inherently worthy of treatment which honours their dignity. Instead of dignity, these plans will foster discrimination and distrust, and cause immeasurable harm to people already made vulnerable by conflict and persecution. If ever there was a contemporary example of ignoring our neighbour and walking by on the other side, this is it.
“When two in three people who cross the channel to seek sanctuary in the UK are granted asylum following rigorous checks, it seems unthinkable to reject them before they have even had a chance to have their claim for asylum heard. Many people fleeing war and persecution in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Eritrea and Sudan have been left with no safe and accessible routes to claim asylum in the UK, forcing people to make difficult and dangerous decisions. The UK falls far behind our global neighbours in welcoming people seeking sanctuary into our communities, and yet these plans essentially put a ban on claiming asylum and reject the UK’s responsibility to play our part in responding to global inequalities and conflict.
“We all agree that we cannot continue to see thousands of people risk their lives to reach safety in the UK, but the solution cannot be deterrence and punishment. As Christians, we believe that we should be amongst the first to welcome the stranger with open arms. We urge the government to withdraw this legislation, to honour our moral and international obligations and to behave with compassion and fairness by establishing safe and accessible routes to enable the UK to play its part in welcoming people in need of safety.”
Signed by
The Revd Fiona Bennett, URC General Assembly Moderator
The Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary of the Baptist Union
The Revd Graham Thompson, President of the Methodist Conference
Anthony Boateng, Vice-President of the Methodist Conference
For information on how you can help on this issue, visit the Joint Public Issues Team.
Image one: Suella Braverman/UK Government CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Image two: Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe CC by 4.0