Religious leaders call for ‘a more compassionate narrative’ on migration

Jewish leaders have joined forces with heads of Christian and Muslim communities to express “deep concern” over the government’s language and approach with regard to migration.

In a letter sent to the Prime Minister, signed by more than 30 senior faith leaders, they said the language he used to announce the government’s proposals and the wording in the immigration White Paper presented “only one side of the debate” and would “only drive public anxiety and entrench polarisation”. The letter was coordinated by Jewish refugee charity HIAS+JCORE.

In his speech at 10 Downing Street, Sir Keir Starmer said that without new rules around immigration, “we risk becoming an island of strangers”. While this line was not referred to in the letter, some critics have said it was evocative of Enoch Powell’s controversial “rivers of blood” speech in 1968, in which the latter criticised immigration from the Commonwealth to the UK.

The signatories, who included Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, senior rabbi of Masorti Judaism, Rabbi Anna Wolfson, co-chair of the Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors and Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen, co-chair of the Reform Assembly of Rabbis and Cantors, wrote: “When you refer to the ‘incalculable’ damage done by uncontrolled migration, you are in danger of harming migrant members of our communities and strengthening those who would divide us.”

While acknowledging public concerns around migration, they said there was a need for a response which was “principled, and lowers the temperature of the debate, respecting the dignity of all who make up our nation”.

In the year ending June 2024, net migration to the UK was 728,000, a 20 per cent drop from the previous year.

The proposals in the White Paper, which aim to further reduce net migration, include raising the qualifying period for settlement in the UK from five to ten years, increasing the qualification threshold for a skilled worker visa to a bachelor’s degree and closing the care worker visa route. There is also greater emphasis on tackling illegal immigration and increasing English language skills to accelerate integration.

The faith leaders, who included Masorti rabbi Jeremy Gordon, Progressive rabbi Richard Jacobi, Imam Qari Asim and a number of senior Anglican bishops, called for a different approach, writing that “real and lasting integration comes through building relationships”.

They also drew attention to recommendations which had been made by several government-commissioned reviews into integration, but not implemented, stating: “Promoting fair policies that balance the needs of host communities with real opportunities for people restarting their lives after fleeing war, conflict, and persecution is a necessary start.”

They added that they were speaking on behalf of “many from within our own faith communities who have built new homes and lives in the UK, becoming part of our national story and fabric”.

Rabbi David Mason, HIAS+JCORE executive director, said: “It’s so important to stand alongside colleagues from many different communities, toward our united goal of a UK where all are treated with dignity and respect. As British Jews, we know just how critical this is. It’s not just our refugee and migration history; our values of compassion and solidarity must drive our welcome for today’s newcomers.”

A spokesperson for Number 10 said: “We are clear that migrants make a massive contribution to the UK and would never denigrate that. Britain is an inclusive and tolerant country, but the public expect that people who come here should be expected to learn the language and integrate. Our strategy is about delivering where the previous government failed year after year. It’s about rolling up our sleeves and fixing the broken immigration system to bring control to our borders, ending the open border experiment under the last government.

“The Immigration White Paper gets on with the job that we were elected to deliver: lowering net migration, delivering higher skills, backing British workers and the start of repairing the public’s trust that was so damaged by the last government.”