Senior Church leaders - UK should stay in the EU

Reuters

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Williams, is among a group of church leaders calling on the UK to stay as part of the European Union.

Other senior voices include the Archbishop of Wales Barry Morgan, the activist and Baptist Minister Steve Chalk and Baroness Butler-Sloss.

The Christian leaders' intervention is apart of a winder intervention from faith leaders as the referendum vote draws near.

The group has written to the Observer newspaper to express their hopes that the Remain side will triumph. Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh voices are also included.

The letter reads, "Faith is about integration and building bridges, not about isolation and erecting barriers. As leaders and senior figures of faith communities, we urge our co-religionists and others to think about the implications of a Leave vote for the things about which we are most passionate.

"The past 70 years have been the longest period of peace in Europe's history. Institutions that enable us to work together and understand both our differences and what we share in common contribute to our increased security and sense of collective endeavour.

"What's more, so many of the challenges we face today can only be addressed in a European, and indeed a global, context: combating poverty in the developing world, confronting climate change and providing the stability that is essential to tackling the migration crisis.

"We hope that when voting on 23 June, people will reflect on whether undermining the international institutions charged with delivering these goals could conceivably contribute to a fairer, cleaner and safer world."

The Leave camapign hasn't yet commented on the faith leaders' intervention.