9 December 2022
A speech by the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford during the debate on the principles behind contemporary UK asylum and refugee policy and responding to the challenges of forced migration – The Archbishop of Canterbury / Lord Murray of Blidworth.
My Lords, can I start by thanking Baroness Twycross for her gracious maiden speech and for mentioning the role of churches in local resilience forums. I’m also looking forward to hearing the two maiden speeches to come. The Rt Revd prelate, the +Leicester and I were formerly colleagues when I was +Loughborough and I look forward to working with him in this House.
I want to thank, too, my Right Reverent Friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for securing this timely and important debate.
This past year alone we’ve seen multiple developments of concern. An increase in forced migration due to conflicts around the globe; over a third of Ukraine’s population displaced by war, with millions seeking refuge beyond their borders; a record 40,000-plus people making the precarious English Channel crossing. We’ve also seen deeply troubling conditions faced by people once in the UK – overcrowded processing centres, threats of deportation to Rwanda, and a lack of resettlement through the Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme.
In the swirl of revelations and challenges, it’s easy to be swept along by the immediate, looking for a quick fix before the next issue comes along. There is, of course, real value in reacting effectively in the moment – particularly from those meeting humanitarian need, as seen with the extraordinary response of the British public to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. But there’s also value in reflection on the principles that guide such actions and the system they exist within. What is the purpose of our migration system? And who is it for?
To echo the words of the Archbishop, at the heart of the matter, is the recognition that every one of us is created in the image of God; with intrinsic worth and dignity. Scripture calls on us to ‘feed the hungry, clothe the naked and welcome the stranger’. In our contemporary context, what does ‘welcome’ for those seeking refuge look like?
This is the very question the Woolf Institute’s newly formed and independent Commission on the Integration of Refugees is exploring. I declare my interest as Vice Chair of the Commission. It is an honour to be involved under the excellent chairmanship of the Noble Lord Carlile. As he will shortly outline in greater detail, I’m sure, we’re seeking to bring together a range of views and experiences from our Commissioners and others across the country. Those with very different opinions and approaches are agreed that the system is broken and have come together to move towards a vision for better integration of refugees. As the Good Faith Partnership wrote in their report for the Commission published just last month, “the stage is… set for those with practical ideas to tap into [the] widely held desire from the British public to integrate newcomers into their homes and communities”.
I, and many others, believe one of those key practical ideas is the provision of housing; good refugee integration requires good housing solutions. Again, I declare my interest, as Lead Bishop for Housing.
I arrived in this country with my parents, a refugee age 13, while the Iranian Revolution gripped my homeland. We were able to rebuild our lives here in large part thanks to the housing provided when we arrived, first in a theological college and then a vacant vicarage. We had a home again, stability and safety, out of which my life has grown.
Creating this ‘rootedness’ remains a key factor for successful refugee integration today.
The Report of the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community, Coming Home, concluded that “good housing should be sustainable, safe, stable, sociable and satisfying”. For many refugees, however, this is not their experience. Countless remain in over-crowded temporary accommodation for long periods. In August 2021, over 20,000 Afghan citizens were evacuated by the British military. More than a year later, 12,000 plus are still housed in hotels, costing £1.5 million per day. This is both dehumanising and expensive.
How do we respond?
Part of the solution is ‘meanwhile housing’ – the installation of demountable, sustainable, high quality homes on meanwhile use land. This provides better outcomes for refugees and improves use of public funds. Bristol City Council’s project ‘Enabling Housing Innovation for Inclusive Growth’ has been pioneering in taking this solution forward. We, at the newly launched Church Housing Foundation, are actively working with Government and others to find ways to assist the provision of ‘meanwhile housing’.
Additionally, lifting the ban on the ‘right to work’ for asylum seekers would have a transformative impact – enabling individuals to create more security for themselves by putting to use the skills they have. Indeed, a YouGov poll earlier this year found that 81% of the public agree.[1]
My Lords, a high percentage of those who apply for asylum are granted permission to stay – [77% of initial decisions made in the year ending September 2022 resulted in a grant of asylum or humanitarian protection.[2]] If these individuals are to have a chance of settling well, they must discover a new sense of belonging, [often after experiencing considerable trauma]. Belonging grows from a combination of receiving a good and dignified welcome, for example in how they are housed, and in the opportunity to contribute, from the earliest moment, [to the new society they are part of], chiefly through the right to work.
Finally, I want to recognise and praise the incredible ongoing work of local churches and communities across the country to ‘welcome the stranger’, including in my own Diocese of Chelmsford. As we strive towards better refugee integration, in principles and practice, I believe we can also be encouraged by the many good examples already around us.
+ Guli Chelmsford
