The interim leader of the Church of England has said that the "Christian way" to deal with large numbers of asylum seekers is to show "compassion and understanding".
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell's comments followed a speech by Nigel Farage in which the Reform leader outlined plans to start mass deportations of illegal immigrants if his party wins the next general election.
Other promises included removing Britain from the controversial European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Speaking to The Mirror, Archbishop Cottrell said Reform's deportation plans were "beneath us as a nation".
"It is the Christian way to meet those asking for help with compassion and understanding and it has long been the British way to give shelter where we can to those escaping violence and conflict abroad," he said.
"It should remain that way."
Farage was dismissive of the views of church leaders earlier this week, calling them "out of touch".
Speaking to reporters at a press conference, he said, “I think over the last decades, quite a few of [the Christian leaders] have been rather out of touch, perhaps with their own flock, given the types of people appointed to be the Archbishop of Canterbury; that’s probably the biggest understatement of the day.”
He added, “We believe that what we’re offering is right and proper, and we believe for a political party that was founded around the slogan of family, community, country, that we are doing right by all of those things with these plans we put forward today.”
Polling by Ipsos shows that immigration is a top concern for Brits, with nearly half (48%) saying it is an important issue facing Britain, ranking higher than the economy and NHS.
The highest increases in concern were seen among Labour supporters (+17 percentage points since July) and Conservative supporters (+12 points).
Immigration has come to the fore following years of small boat crossings in the English Channel, with over 170,000 arrivals since records began in 2018. Some 50,000 people have come to the UK via this route since Labour came to power in July 2024.
Protests have been staged outside hotels being used to house asylum seekers, with the Bell Hotel in Epping becoming a flashpoint over the summer.
The protests were triggered by allegations that an asylum seeker staying at the hotel had sexually assaulted a 14 year old girl. He denied the allegations in court this week.
