Archbishop of Canterbury: UK Migration Bill is morally wrong

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The Archbishop of Canterbury attacked Rishi Sunak's planned crackdown on migrants arriving in small boats during a debate in the House of Lords.

Justin Welby said the illegality of the Migration Bill represented a 'dramatic deviation' from Britain's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention to allow new arrivals to make asylum claims .

“I urge the government to reconsider much of the bill – which fails to respect history, our moral responsibility and our political and international interests,” the Bishop said most elder of the Church of England.

Archbishop says Home Secretary Suella Braverman's bill 'totally fails' to meet long-term challenge of trafficking of human beings, undermines international cooperation and damages the UK's global reputation.

“We need a bill to stop the boats. We need a bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers - the tragedy is that, without much change, it's not that bill," he told the Lords on Wednesday. p>

Mr Welby added: "It is isolationist, morally unacceptable and politically impractical to leave the poorest countries to deal with the [refugee] crisis on their own."

< p>International protections for refugees are “not inconvenient obstacles to be circumvented by any legislative means necessary,” the Archbishop also told parliament.

He said: “Even if this project of law succeeds in temporarily stopping the boats - and I don't think it will - it will not stop conflict or climate migration."

Calling on the government to put in place new " safe and legal pathways" for refugees, he warned, "We cannot wait years for this to happen."

The Archbishop also followed Labor in criticizing the lack of new government measures to tackle "evil" smuggling gangs - arguing that the bill failed to "directly and offensively engage with criminal traffickers".

Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman under pressure over 'stop the boats' pledge

(The Independent)

Respondent To Mr. Welby's criticisms, Mr. Sunak's official spokesman insisted that the plan withhold and...