A LEADING Church of England bishop has described the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers 6,000 miles away to Rwanda as ‘cruel and inhumane’.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Rev Guli Francis-Dehqani, has written an open letter to Home Secretary and Essex MP Priti Patel about the controversial new policy.

It comes off the back of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s own criticism of the scheme during his Easter sermon at the weekend.

He described it as ‘sub-contracting out our responsibilities’ and 'ungodly'.

Rev’d Francis-Dehqani said in her letter that she stood behind Justin Welby’s comments and said she was “extremely anxious” about the scheme.

She wrote: “This policy treats the most vulnerable in our midst in a cruel and inhumane way and it is for this reason that I am compelled to appeal to you, even at this late stage, to listen to the voices that are being raised from a cross section of public opinion.

“Those who find their way to this country, often through treacherous means, deserve to have their cases considered and processed here.

“To do otherwise is, as the Archbishop says, “sub-contracting out our responsibilities … the opposite of the nature of God, who himself took responsibility for our failures”.

Rev’d Francis-Dehqani also took aim at Ms Patel’s own comments in the press in which she said those criticising the asylum plan failed to offer ‘their own solutions’.

The letter to the Witham MP continued: “We are not tasked with providing worked out political solutions – that is the job of Government and politicians.

“But it is our responsibility to point out where there are serious ethical and moral implications arising from Government proposals.

“I would also want to say that it is disingenuous of your cabinet colleague, Mr Rees-Mogg, to suggest that the Archbishop “misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve”.

“Thoughtful criticism should not be dismissed in this off hand manner.“