The Archbishop of Canterbury today blasted Suella Braverman for denying refugees’ “dignity” in the “cruel” asylum system.
Justin Welby lined up with other Bishops to hit out after the Home Secretary branded asylum seekers an “invasion on our southern coast” in October.
Hosting a House of Lords debate, he said: “When we fail to challenge the harmful rhetoric that refugees are the cause of this country's ills, that they should be treated as problems not people, invaders to be tackled and deterred, we deny the essential value and dignity of our fellow human beings.”
Blaming both Tory and past Labour governments, he added: “When migrants arrive here, our system is grossly wasteful - in both human and financial terms.
“Control has become cruelty.”
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said “dehumanising language just promotes fear” and the asylum system “doesn't give people the dignity, safety and agency that their humanity deserves”.
The Bishop of Leicester used his first Lords speech to say he fears "we offer little welcome" to refugees, who "have suffered trauma, terror, abuse and hardship”.
He added: "They may have a roof over their heads but they are not given even the most basic means of living as human beings.”
He went on: “In denying refugees and asylum seekers their agency, their dignity, and their need for creativity and community, it is not only them we dehumanise, it is ourselves as well.
"When we are possessed by fear of the other, fear of losing control over our borders, fear of what refugees show us of the fragility of human structures and ways of life, we are lesser versions of ourselves."
The Bishop of Chelmsford added: “Countless refugees remain in overcrowded temporary accommodation for long periods. In August 2021, over 20,000 Afghan citizens were evacuated by the British military.
“More than a year later, 12,000-plus are still housed in hotels, costing £1.5 million per day. This is both dehumanising and expensive.”
It came as Labour has unveiled plans to fast-track asylum claims by making quick decisions on people arriving from safe places such as Albania.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said addressing the issue "properly" would clear the the backlog and "save substantial sums of money".
In the 12 months to June, over 7,000 Albanians made asylum claims after crossing the Channel in small boats, but only 50 have had their cases determined.
Ms Cooper said: “Less than 1% of cases from Albania have been processed.
“That just shows the level of chaos in the system and the complete failure by Ministers to get any grip on this.
“They were warned by the UNHCR almost two years ago to introduce fast-track systems and they failed…
“Other countries have had these systems in place for years.
“But all we’ve had from Suella Braverman is more hyped-up rhetoric and promises of yet more legislation, even though the last round of legislation didn’t work.
“Labour would immediately bring in fast track systems to get a grip, clear the backlog and start targeting the criminal gangs who are driving this.”
