In a compelling address to the House of Lords on Monday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, condemned Chancellor Rishi Sunak's proposed Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and

Immigration) Bill as detrimental to the nation. Expressing his concerns, Welby stated that the plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was steering the country down a harmful path.

Welby, referencing the Christian tradition, emphasized the value of welcoming strangers and quoted Jesus, saying, "I was a stranger and you invited me in." He criticized the legislation, designed to overcome legal challenges and facilitate deportations, for obscuring the fundamental truth that all individuals, including asylum seekers, hold great value.

The bill, integral to the prime minister's strategy to demonstrate the ability to "stop the boats" crossing the English Channel, aims to enable flights to Rwanda by spring once approved.

The Archbishop argued that the legislation, while pursuing commendable objectives, was doing so in a misguided manner, damaging the nation's unity, reputation, constitutional principles, and the rule of law. Welby acknowledged Rwanda as a remarkable country but stressed that the bill's flaws were detrimental to both asylum seekers in need of protection and the country as a whole.

Earlier on the same day, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) voiced concerns, cautioning that the law threatened the universality of human rights. Downing Street defended the bill, stating that it played a crucial role in preventing criminal gangs from exploiting vulnerable individuals, particularly those attempting dangerous crossings in the English Channel. Photo by Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Wikimedia commons.