Bishop says Labour lumping asylum seekers together

Bishop Graham said "Norwich and Norfolk has a long tradition of welcoming the stranger"

The Bishop of Norwich has accused Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood of "lumping all asylum seekers together" in her plans for changing the immigration system.

Migrants will have to wait 10 years, up from five years, before qualifying for indefinite leave to remain under the government proposals.

The Right Reverend Graham Usher said the changes would make integration harder as refugees would "feel unable to put down roots".

Bishop Usher said "we also need to see the humanity of each person" and said Jesus was a refugee "escaping tyranny".

Mahmood has said migration is a "vital part of Britain's story" but the recent scale of arrivals has been "unprecedented".

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said becoming part of the UK was "not a right but a privilege - and one that must be earned"

The bishop, who sits in the House of Lords, said many people "understandably have concerns about the numbers of those seeking asylum in the UK".

"I believe that there needs to be a good, evidence-based debate on this subject, but that we also need to see the humanity of each person.

"Rather than scapegoating and stereotyping a diverse group of people, our local and national political leaders need to foster open and honest conversation as well as ways to bring our communities and nation together."

He said Jesus was a refugee "escaping tyranny and a violent despot" and he taught his followers to "love our neighbour".

Bishop Usher said he had met people who had "experienced oppression, torture and violence" who had been welcomed to Norfolk.

"My concern about the proposals are that they lump all asylum seekers together without understanding their different experiences, backgrounds and motivations, and make integration more difficult if refugees feel unable to put down roots."

The government's changes will not apply to people who have already obtained settlement.

More than 36,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of 2025.

However, earlier this week, the Office for National Statistics reported that net migration was 20% lower than previously thought.

Mahmood told the House of Commons on Monday: "This country will always offer sanctuary to those fleeing danger, but we must also acknowledge that the world has changed and our asylum system has not changed with it.

"Over 100,000 people now live in asylum accommodation, and over half of refugees remain on benefits eight years after they have arrived.

"To the British public, who foot the bill, the system feels out of control and unfair."