Rwanda bill: Justin Welby preaches to the converted in House of Lords
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was preaching to the converted.
To a majority of members of the House of Lords, the government’s Rwanda bill is an unholy abomination.
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Last week, their lordships voted by 214 votes to 171, a majority of 43, to delay ratification of the Rwanda treaty until safeguards had been implemented.
And in his speech during the second reading debate on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, Mr Welby accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of a “pick and choose approach” to international law.
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The archbishop began his speech by telling peers the heart of the Christian tradition was that strangers were welcomed.
“Jesus said ‘I was a stranger and you invited me in’,” he said.
And there were loud cries of “hear, hear!” from around the Lords’ chamber when the archbishop declared: “We can as a nation do better than this bill.”
He went on: “With this bill, the government is continuing to seek good objectives in the wrong way, leading the nation down a damaging path.
“It is damaging for asylum seekers in need of protection and safe and legal routes to be heard.
“It is damaging for this country’s reputation, which it contradicts even as late as last week where the prime minister himself spoke eloquently on the value and importance of international law for this country.”
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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby speaks in the House of Lords as the Rwanda Bill is debated
No-one could accuse the archbishop of contradicting himself on this issue. He led opposition in the Lords to the Illegal Migration Bill, which resulted in a series of defeats for the government.
He has previously described the Rwanda policy as “against the judgement of God”, and he served notice in this debate that he’s prepared to play a full part in their lordships’ attempts to pull the bill apart in the coming weeks.
He ended his speech by saying that he would not be voting for an amendment proposed by Liberal Democrat peer Lord German to vote down the bill at this point, though he found the argument for it “convincing and powerful”.
Lord German’s amendment, which Labour won’t be supporting either, declines to give the bill a second reading for five reasons:
• It places the UK at risk because it breaches international commitments;
• It undermines the rule of law;
• It will lead to substantial costs to taxpayers;
• It fails to provide safe and legal routes for refugees;
• It fails to include measures to tackle people smuggling gangs.
Without Labour support, the Lib Dem amendment has no chance of being passed.
But, ominously for the government, Mr Welby said he wanted to wait until third reading, after amendments have been made to the bill, before taking a decision on whether or not it should pass.
Mr Sunak has urged peers not to block “the will of the people”.
But the archbishop’s argument, essentially, is that the will of God trumps the will of the people.
And many of their lordships appear to agree.
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The government borrowed the least amount of money in three years last month, official figures showed, in a surprise bout of good news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Not since July 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, was state borrowing so low, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Increases in tax and national insurance receipts meant public sector net borrowing was £1.1bn in July, meaning there was a £1.1bn gap between government spending and income.
That borrowing is less than half the figure (£2.6bn) expected by economists polled by the Reuters news agency, as self-assessed income tax was £600m higher than expected.
But borrowing was still £6bn higher in the first four months of the financial year, which started in April, than the same period in 2024.
Despite a £2.3bn drop in monthly borrowing when July 2025 is compared with July 2024, the state still spent more on the cost of that lending.
The amount of interest paid on government debt was £7.1bn, £200m more than a year earlier.
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The cost of government borrowing has increased in recent months as the interest rate investors demand on loans issued to the UK (bonds) rose.
At the start of the week, the government’s long-term borrowing cost, as measured by the interest rate on 30-year bonds (known as the gilt yield), closed at the highest level since 1998.
What does it mean for the chancellor?
The monthly borrowing data is in line with the predictions made by independent forecasters, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
It may not be as rosy a picture, however, as research firm Capital Economics point out the cumulative budget deficit, rather than a monthly figure, is £5.7bn above the OBR’s forecast.
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Are taxes going to rise?
This matters for the chancellor’s self-imposed fiscal rules, to bring down government debt and balance the budget by 2030, the firm said.
“The chancellor will probably need to raise taxes by £17bn to £27bn at the budget later this year,” Capital Economics’ UK economist Alex Kerr said.
Elevated self-assessment income tax receipts “may just reflect the timing of tax returns being recorded, and receipts in August may be weaker than expected”, he added.
Responding to the figures, Ms Reeves’s deputy, chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, said: “Far too much taxpayer money is spent on interest payments for the longstanding national debt.
“That’s why we’re driving down government borrowing over the course of the parliament – so working people don’t have to foot the bill and we can invest in better schools, hospitals, and services for working families.”
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