Progressive Judaism’s leaders, Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, have joined the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and senior Muslim, Hindu and Sikh leaders to urge the Government to follow a “just and compassionate” asylum policy.

Ahead of the final Report Stage debate on the Illegal Migration Bill in the House of Lords, they wrote to The Times to give their support to an amendment tabled by the Archbishop of Canterbury calling on the Government to develop long-term strategies to tackle the crisis.

The full text of the joint letter to The Times by faith leaders is below:

As faith leaders, we represent people and communities whose belief, worship and action point us towards the kind of society we wish to build for the common good. The Illegal Migration Bill falls short of our obligation towards the most vulnerable. It fails to meet the basic test of an evidence-based and workable policy.

We need an alternative approach that reflects our country’s history, values and responsibility.

With more than 100 million people displaced around the world, this crisis will not be solved without significant collective endeavour.

To improve the Bill, we support an amendment requiring the government to produce a ten-year strategy, collaborating internationally to stop the boats here and globally, and tackle refugee crises and human trafficking.

The UK should take a lead in setting out a just, compassionate approach, ensuring that people seeking sanctuary are protected, claims decided quickly and justly, human traffickers are punished, and the root causes of mass migration are properly addressed.

The Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
The Right Rev Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham
Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army
Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, CEOs of Progressive Judaism
Mrs Trupti Patel, president, Hindu Forum of Britain
Lord Singh of Wimbledon, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations UK
Imam Qari Asim, Senior Imam, Makkah Mosque, Leeds
Imam Dr. Sayed Razawi, Chief Imam (Scotland), Director-General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society