Twelve Church of England bishops have accused the government of criminalising “Good Samaritans” who seek to save the lives of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.The bishops, who speak on asylum and refugee issues within the church, said the nationality and borders bill before parliament is an “affront to justice” by putting the saving of life under a legal penalty.Record numbers of people have crossed the Channel in small boats this summer, including more than 1,500 people last week.Under the bill, migrants could face up to four years in prison. Plans put forward by Priti Patel, the home secretary, will require Border Force vessels to turn back migrant boats rather than bringing passengers safely into the UK.International and maritime law says assistance must be given to people in distress at sea. Article 98 of the UN convention on the law of the sea 1982 mandates that every state requires its ships “to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost”.Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, has said France “will not accept any practice contrary to the law of the sea”.In a letter published by the Guardian, the bishops said: “We are deeply concerned about the government’s approach to migrant crossings of the Channel.”The bill “would criminalise not only attempts to cross the border irregularly, nor even simply people smuggling, but even those who take part in the rescue of boats in distress at sea.“This would require those who see asylum seekers at risk to choose between ignoring a moral imperative (also established in maritime law) to assist them, or to risk prosecution and imprisonment.“This amounts to a criminalisation of the Good Samaritan who did not pass by on the other side, and an affront to justice to put the saving of lives under any sort of legal penalty.“The new ‘turn back’ policy, which will see boats forcibly returned to France, also raises significant moral concerns. It starkly increases the risks at sea and endangers the lives of those attempting the crossing.”Increased security in the Channel “is demonstrably failing to deter attempted channel crossings”. Rather, Channel crossings “are actively being made more dangerous, at greater cost in human life, by the government’s own policies.”A multilateral approach, promoting safe routes and valuing human life and the “dignity of the vulnerable”, was needed, the bishops said.Paul Butler, the bishop of Durham, said: “We agree with the home secretary that we need a better and more efficient asylum process, and we agree on wanting to stop human trafficking.“But the answer is more designated safe routes. The situation in Afghanistan has demonstrated that it’s possible to identify the most vulnerable people, sort out the necessary paperwork and set up safe routes.“In Afghanistan, we have seen the story, seen the horror. With a lot of the folk in Calais, we don’t know their stories. If we did, levels of sympathy and compassion would increase.”
Here's the Zoom link for people to join this Sunday's Holy Communion service at St Mary and All Saints at 10am. Our celebrant is the Archdeacon of Surrey, Venerable Paul Davies.<br><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5253921788?pwd=MC9kNmpldmFrRSsrV1pkc1k5aU1vZz09">https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5253921788?pwd=MC9kNmpldmFrRSsrV1pkc1k5aU1vZz09</a><br><br>Meeting ID: 525 392 1788<br>Passcode: 379904
Boris Johnson’s plan to increase national insurance contributions to raise £12bn for the NHS and social care could pose a “serious problem” for low-income workers, the archbishop of Canterbury has said.Justin Welby said privileging wealthy pensioners over the poorest young people was “not a people-centred policy”, as he stressed the need for “intergenerational equity”.His comments come after Tory MPs voted through a proposal to raise national insurance contributions (NICs) by 1.25 percentage points through a new ringfenced tax known as the “health and social care levy”.Under the plan, patients entering the social care system from October 2023 will not have to pay more than £86,000 in their lifetime – excluding food and accommodation. More means-tested support will also be provided for those with assets of between £20,000 and £100,000.The policy was announced earlier this week and put to a snap vote in the Commons in an attempt to stymie Tory rebels.Concerns have been raised by the care sector, some Conservative backbenchers and thinktanks that ministers are failing to tackle the issue quickly enough by not implementing the social care changes for two years, and refusing to guarantee that people will not have to sell their home to pay even when the changes do come into effect. Some say the plan places an unfair burden on poorer workers.Asked whether it was right that lower-income workers would pay disproportionately more, given pension and renting income was not covered by the levy, he said: “That is a very serious moral question. If we – as it were – privilege the wealthy older against the poorest younger, that will not work. That’s not a people-centred policy.“The policy needs to be centred on people and care for the poorest, as well as ensuring that we have an embedded system that will work and is acceptable to all.“As I say, the test is not just in terms of money, the test is in terms of effectiveness. If it pushes more young people into poverty and means they can’t get their own house and things like that, which I’m aware of from our own children – and ourselves for that matter, because we don’t own our house in this country – that is going to be a really serious problem, and that is wrong. It needs to be done fairly between the generations – that’s part of intergenerational reconciliation.”
Our Heritage Open Days will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 11th and 12th, from 2pm to 5pm.There will be bell ringing demonstrations, the chance for visitors to have a go at bell ringing. And the bells can be viewed in the bell tower via a tower camera that relays the images onto a screen in church.We’ll also be staging the popular teddy bear parachute drops as well as a local history display featuring Dunsfold families.Add to the fun some quiz sheets and refreshments available throughout the afternoons and all the family can enjoy a visit to a church that was described by William Morris as “the most beautiful church in all England.”
