The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has announced fundamental reform of the UK’s asylum system, saying the current situation is “out of control and unfair”. The changes will mean refugee status will become temporary with status reviewed every 30 months, multiple appeals will not be allowed, housing and weekly pay will not be guaranteed, the guarantee of housing support for asylum seekers will end, support will be withheld from people who do not work or break the law or defy removal, new safe and legal routes will be created, countries which fail to accept returnees will face visa penalties, AI will be used to determine age and a digital ID will be introduced by the end of this parliament.
Bishop says asylum reforms have ‘shaken him to the core’
The Bishop of Edmonton, Dr Anderson Jeremiah, said the Home Secretary’s comments had “shaken him to the core”. The Guardian quotes him saying: “We are scapegoating asylum seekers for the failures and political divisions caused by successive governments in the last 15 years – the failures of successive governments to address wealth inequality, funding for education, the cost of living and primary healthcare and infrastructure. Every day I meet homeless people who have fallen through the cracks in our system. And yet in singling out asylum seekers we are laying the burden of society’s problems on less than one per cent of the UK population – when the number of millionaires and billionaires is on the rise.”
Jesuit Refugee Service says asylum proposals will inflict profound harm
The UK Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, David Ryall said the announcement “marks an unprecedented and damaging departure from the UK’s long tradition of offering people sanctuary and the chance to rebuild their lives”. He said the policies will inflict profound harm on all who seek safety. “Pope Leo calls us to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate refugees. The Government’s decision does the opposite: it curtails welcome, undermines protection, and blocks integration. In so doing, it diminishes our common humanity and makes our society poorer.”
UN High Commission for Refugees will review the asylum reforms in detail
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said the UNHCR will “review the proposals in detail” and offer its views in due course. Delivering the “One People Oration 2025” at Westminster Abbey, while MPs debated the plans in the Commons, he declined to comment directly on the legislation but underlined the UNHCR’s role in helping governments meet their obligations, ensuring that people fleeing danger must not be pushed back or left to die. He said that cuts to foreign aid had led to an increase in refugees and people moving to find work. Asylum backlogs, he warned, fuelled a perception that the system was being abused, leading to the vilification of refugees. Politicians everywhere were under immense pressure to deter arrivals, “boiling all policy options down to a false choice between chaos or control”. He believed that the debate had become politicised, manipulated for electoral gain: “Sadly there is often more than a hint of xenophobia, if not outright racism, in the language used to describe refugees and asylum seekers”, but he said it was important to recognise the complexity of the issue. He urged politicians to work on the “real space between pragmatism and principles, and from there create responses on which asylum’s essential, lifesaving purpose can flourish”. He reminded the audience that the principle of welcoming the stranger is a key element in sacred texts around the world. “Providing asylum is a gesture steeped in all cultures and in the human soul”, he said, and he urged the audience to “build the courage to welcome”. His speech is here
Other news
Pope Leo appeals for COP30 to take action on climate change
Pope Leo has addressed bishops participating in the COP30 climate change summit in Brazil, saying not enough progress has been made and there must be concrete action. He said one in three people are vulnerable because of climate change, and God’s creation is “crying out” with floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat. He warned that the window of opportunity to keep the rise in global temperature below 1.5°C, is closing. The Paris Agreement to keep temperatures down had made progress, he said, but people and politicians are failing in their response. Stronger climate actions would create stronger and fairer economic systems for a “more just and stable world”. COP30 has entered its second week and Pope Leo has urged all delegates to “choose cooperation over division and denial”.
Freedom of religion and belief school resources
Resources to help secondary school pupils learn about freedom of religion and belief in the UK will be launched in the House of Lords today. The content is based on a research project by Regents Park College, Oxford, entitled Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom: Organisational Challenges in the UK. It partnered with the Freedom Declared Foundation, to produce the materials designed for use in RE classes. The lesson plans use case-studies from the research to prompt discussion and learning, including employees hiding symbols of their faith for fear of mockery, ability to take time off work for religious festivals, discrimination in job prospects because of Islamophobia or antisemitism, and lack of respect for the Christian faith. The resources were developed by teachers working with Professor James Holt of the University of Chester, who says the research shows examples of persecution and harassment in this country. The launch will include the unveiling and demonstration of a Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB) online monitoring tool. Resources are here
Catholic bishop calls for immediate international action on Sudan
Bishop Paul Swarbrick, Catholic Bishop of Lancaster and lead bishop for Africa, says reports of executions and violence by armed militia in the city of el-Fasher in Sudan, are deeply troubling and he is calling for immediate international attention. He says the conflict is not widely reported but “the loss of life, widespread suffering, and the number of displaced people is colossal.” The city fell to the Rapid Support Force after 18 months under siege, and the conflict has led to tens of thousands of civilians forced to flee or face violence. He says: “the international community can no longer turn away from the immense human cost of this conflict”. Approximately 250,000 civilians were trapped in the city before it fell.
US Anglican archbishop suspended after sexual misconduct allegations
The leader of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a conservative group which split from the US Episcopal Church in 2009, has been suspended from ministry after facing allegations of sexual misconduct. The Associated Press reports that Archbishop Stephen Wood faces charges involving a woman church member, in his role as a pastor and regional bishop. The archbishop, married with four children, has denied the charges. Meanwhile the ACNA Dean, Bishop Ray Sutton, resigned on Saturday citing pressure of work and back problems, and has been replaced. He remains Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, another conservative group which helped found the ACNA.
