The interim leader of the Church of England has said that the “Christian way” to take care of large numbers of asylum seekers is to point out “compassion and understanding”.
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell’s comments followed a speech by Nigel Farage during which the Reform leader outlined plans to start out mass deportations of illegal immigrants if his party wins the following general election.
Other guarantees included removing Britain from the controversial European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Speaking to The Mirror, Archbishop Cottrell said Reform’s deportation plans were “beneath us as a nation”.
“It is the Christian approach to meet those asking for help with compassion and understanding and it has long been the British approach to give shelter where we are able to to those escaping violence and conflict abroad,” he said.
“It should remain that way.”
Farage was dismissive of the views of church leaders earlier this week, calling them “out of touch”.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference, he said, “I feel during the last a long time, quite a couple of of [the Christian leaders] have been quite out of touch, perhaps with their very own flock, given the sorts of people appointed to be the Archbishop of Canterbury; that’s probably the most important understatement of the day.”
He added, “We consider that what we’re offering is correct and proper, and we consider for a political party that was founded across the slogan of family, community, country, that we’re doing right by all of those things with these plans we recommend today.”
Polling by Ipsos shows that immigration is a top concern for Brits, with nearly half (48%) saying it’s a crucial issue facing Britain, rating higher than the economy and NHS.
The highest increases in concern were seen amongst Labour supporters (+17 percentage points since July) and Conservative supporters (+12 points).
Immigration has come to the fore following years of small boat crossings within the English Channel, with over 170,000 arrivals since records began in 2018. Some 50,000 people have come to the UK via this route since Labour got here to power in July 2024.
Protests have been staged outside hotels getting used to accommodate asylum seekers, with the Bell Hotel in Epping becoming a flashpoint over the summer.
The protests were triggered by allegations that an asylum seeker staying on the hotel had sexually assaulted a 14 yr old girl. He denied the allegations in court this week.
