Church of England leaders have expressed concern after racial justice funding was slashed from £26.7 million to £12 million over the next three years.

This comes despite the Church’s endowment growing to £11.1 billion, as reported by The Guardian.

Bishop Arun Arora warned: “Extreme views from abroad and at home are starting to leak into the C of E’s decision-making bodies,” calling the cut “brutal” and lacking transparency.

He said: “Justice is not an ancillary add-on to the work of the church, it is the very work of God.”

The decision comes months after General Synod voted overwhelmingly to maintain support for racial justice work.

Arora and co-lead bishop Rosemarie Mallett say they were not informed of the funding reduction in advance.

A church spokesperson said: "The original funding was intended as a one-off boost, but acknowledged further support had been allocated to continue aspects of the work."