News by email Donate

Suggestions

iraq-refugees-main_article_image.jpg
REX/ZUMA
UK News

Church leaders unite in refugees call to PM

by Cara Bentley

The signatories include 28 Church of England bishops, members of the Methodist Conference, Baptist Church and United Reformed Church.

They start by welcoming the allowance of 5,000 refugees to resettle in the UK in 2020-21 but add that they would like to see 10,000 resettled a year.

It reads: "we are writing to ask for your assurance that as prime minister you will ensure this recent announcement is not a one-off, but rather the start of a lasting commitment by the UK to welcome its share of people seeking sanctuary globally.

"We believe that the UK can and must resettle more refugees. The Refugee Council, British Red Cross and others recently called for resettlement to be expanded to at least 10,000 refugees each year. Meanwhile Safe Passage International have been campaigning for the UK to welcome at least 1,000 children annually from Europe and conflict zones, and have already secured pledges from local authorities amounting to nearly 1,300 places if the government makes a commitment to child refugees."

The faith leaders call this a "small ask" for one of the world's richest countries.

They cite the record of the previous government, reminding Mr Johnson that in the first two years of the Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Scheme, tailored to help children from the Middle East who had been affected by conflict, only 20 unaccompanied children were brought to the UK, despite aiming to resettle 3000 when announced in April 2016.

The letter is supported by Rev Dr Inderjit Bhogal, former president of the Methodist Conference, Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army and several Anglican bishops, including Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelsmford; Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, Bishop of Kensington and Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate