Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC

Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, is among those who say they are “horrified and appalled” about the potential repercussions of the proposed legislation.

The leaders, representing the six major faith groups in the UK, say the bill would lead to “closing the door” on desperate people genuinely in fear for their lives.

They have written a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson which urges him to show compassion and make substantial changes to the draft legislation “even at this late stage”.

Lord Wallace said: “This week we are seeing people under attack in Ukraine who are being forced to flee their homes.

“It is a good time for the UK government to reconsider its approach and to ensure that our laws are designed to support people seeking sanctuary from conflict, no matter how they arrive in our country.”

The letter is published today, as the bill enters its final stages in the House of Lords. It states: “While there is still conflict and injustice in the world, there will always be desperate people needing to seek sanctuary from war, persecution and suffering.

“We cannot close our door on them but this bill does just that.

“We assert that the values that bind UK citizens together, especially those concerning human dignity and life, will be fundamentally damaged by this bill.”

The faith leaders call on Mr Johnson to make substantial changes to the draft legislation and have requested a meeting with him to discuss their grave concerns.

Changes include abandoning the government’s plans to criminalise and restrict the rights of all people arriving in the UK seeking refugee protection outside pre-arranged schemes, including those coming via irregular routes, such as by boats or lorries.

The letter says this policy was made “without a basis in evidence or morality”.

It asks the UK government to urgently address the failure to establish safe routes for refugees seeking sanctuary, arguing that failing to do so fundamentally undermines the bill’s aims.

It also urges Mr Johnson to be “compassionate and ambitious” in opening schemes such as family reunion, resettlement and routes for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.