THE Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, has expressed concerns over the Prime Minister’s speech, after the publication of the Government’s immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer said that, without the new requirements proposed, the UK risked “becoming an island of strangers”.
He has been criticised by some Labour MPs, notably the MP for Hayes & Harlington and Former Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, who posted on X that the remark “shockingly echoes the divisive language of Enoch Powell”, the late Conservative MP with extreme views on immigration.
Sir Keir said: “In a diverse nation like ours, and I celebrate that, these rules become even more important.
”Without them, we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”
Dr Francis-Dehqani said on Wednesday: “In the churches and different communities I am a part of, we are not an ‘island of strangers’. Migrants are not ‘strangers’ but friends who fully participate and contribute as we worship, serve, and live life together. The vast majority have applied through official routes to come here to the UK to live, work, and study, and their contributions go far beyond a simple binary GDP evaluation.
“Political leaders must acknowledge that words matter because they influence how people perceive and treat vulnerable people. It can never be acceptable to dehumanise migrants as if they are not deserving of dignity, compassion, and rights.
“The Christian faith enjoys a rich scriptural tradition to help us understand how God views the ‘stranger’, in turn, therefore, modelling how we should do likewise. The divine pattern is clear in its inclusivity: the foreigner and outsider must be treated as equal, welcomed with love and accepted as neighbour.”
In a Home Office statement this week, the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said that the White Paper aims to reduce “record-high levels of net migration” and “strengthen” border control.
The director of Christians on the Left, Hannah Rich (Comment, 2 May), said on Wednesday that “politicians cannot ignore the challenges of migration”, but that Christians, in particular, were called to approach the challenges “with both honesty and grace”.
“It is right to speak up for fair wages and secure employment,” she continued. “No one should see their pay or job prospects undermined because some employers choose to exploit migrant workers. But the fault here lies not with the workers themselves — many of whom have come to the UK seeking safety or opportunity — but with those who use loopholes or poor regulation to avoid their responsibilities as employers. A just system must ensure strong workers’ protections, proper enforcement, and investment in skills and training for all workers — British-born and migrant alike.”
The founder and director of the Sanctuary Foundation, Dr Krish Kandiah, took to social media to express his concerns about the 82-page document. “We need a fresh narrative, one that’s full of hope and not fear when it comes to migration.”
Measures proposed in the White Paper include requiring migrants and their dependants to have a higher standard of the English language across a broader range of immigration routes.
Dr Kandiah said: “Think about these English standard requirements they’re talking about. When Brits are abroad they very rarely learn the language of the country they’re going to but we’re expecting people when they come here to of course learn English.
“The strange thing is that most people do want to learn English when they come here. Only 1 per cent of immigrants don’t speak any English at all, and there’s a massive waiting list for people trying to get onto English as a second language and TESLA courses.”
Other requirements include doubling the time period of qualifying for settlement — from five years to ten — which Dr Kandiah suggested will make “people less likely to want to call Britain home”.
In addition, the immigration salary list will be abolished, as employers will no longer be able to access discounts from salary thresholds. Recruitment for overseas social-care workers will cease, although visa extensions will be permitted until 2028, subject to review.
“Addressing labour shortages should also not be at the expense of skills development and opportunities for domestic workers here in the UK,” Dr Francis-Dehqani added. “But I would also hope that the goals for our migration system could reflect the values we hold as a nation — fairness, opportunity, tolerance, and respect.”
