Lord Carey Calls for Tight & Compassionate Immigration Controls

|PIC1|The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has called for tighter immigration rules when Gordon Brown takes over as British prime minister next week.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Sunday Programme, Lord Carey explained that the issue would not "go away", and that a balance had to be struck between tighter controls and compassion towards refugees.

He said, "At home, the issue of immigration will not go away and I hope that he will impose stricter controls on those entering the United Kingdom."

Lord Carey added: "I hope he will not forget the importance of Christian identity at the very heart of being a part of the United Kingdom."

However, the Refugee Council has reacted to the comments by saying that Lord Carey is out of touch with other religious groups, and that immigration controls were already strict.

Tim Finch, of the Refugee Council, said: "Lord Carey would seem to be out of step with the Church of England and other Christian and faith groups which have been in the forefront of calls for more generosity to be shown to migrants and refugees."