Nation of Sanctuary policy 'made into something it is not'

Eluned Morgan defended the Welsh government's refugee and asylum seeker work in the Senedd on Tuesday

Eluned Morgan has defended the Welsh government's Nation of Sanctuary refugee and asylum seeker policy, saying opponents are making it out to be something it is not.

The Labour first minister faced attacks from Reform and the Conservatives during heated exchanges in the Senedd.

Reform's Laura Anne Jones said the policy had put a "neon sign" over Wales suggesting "the rest of the world come here".

Morgan said most of the money had been spent on Ukrainians, and that she was "proud" Wales had supported people who had "fled terrible situations" in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Immigration is not something that the Welsh government controls, but in recent years it has had policies to assist asylum seekers and refugees, which it has labelled the "Nation of Sanctuary".

Official figures say it makes up a small proportion of the overall budget.

A statement from the Welsh government on Monday says £55m had been spent on the policy between 2019 and 2025, less than 0.5% of the Welsh government's spending.

Of that, £45m - 82% - had been spent on Ukrainians between 2022 and 2024. The Welsh government had sponsored arriving refugees from early on in the conflict.

A progress report from 2024 showed helping refugees move on from asylum accommodation and helping refugees get work, were among the things officials had been working on.

During First Minister's Questions (FMQs), Morgan said: "Helping people who've been given protection by the UK government in Wales, often after fleeing war or violence, represents Welsh values in action. It helps us to fill jobs gaps and many contribute to our economy."

She said some were trying "to stir this into something it is not".

In reply Laura Anne Jones said it was "disingenuous" of Morgan to suggest that Reform did "not care about Ukrainians" because it was opposed to the Nation of Sanctuary policy.

Jones said: "What Reform object to is a policy that simply puts a neon sign above Wales that suggests the rest of the world come here, possibly illegally, use our services, our benefits, our housing, when our NHS is already stretched to the max and we have veterans sleeping on the street."

Morgan quoted a Facebook post by Jones back at her, where she had asked what the Welsh government was doing to help Ukrainians in Wales.

The first minister said it was not up to the Welsh government to decide how many and which asylum seekers are placed in Wales, and went on to accuse Reform of "whipping up anti-immigration policies".

'You should know'

Conservative MS Altaf Hussain accused the Welsh government of "blurring the lines between legal and illegal migration", which he said had "set back community support for immigration in Wales".

"We have a duty to house genuine refugees but, even then, it has to be in the right place at the right time," he said.

Morgan accused him of being "worse than Reform" and "whipping up division in our communities".

Addressing Hussain, Morgan said: "You should know, of everybody, that what we get very often is a massive contribution from people who are contributing to our communities.

"We know that in west Wales, for example, almost 50 per cent of the doctors and dentists were trained overseas."

Laura Anne Jones is Reform's only Senedd member

Welsh Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds suggested the Conservatives had U-turned on the policy.

"I find this very, very distasteful and absolutely dishonest," she said.

"The facts are very clear: the Nation of Sanctuary, which is what we've heard from Reform and, I'm afraid, we're hearing from the Conservatives now - you're changing your mind, to be honest - is about helping people who are here legally."

'Hatred'

Earlier in FMQs all three party leaders condemned the attack on a synagogue in Manchester, as well as the attack by Hamas on Israel, which had taken place on 7 October two years ago.

Referencing both, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar said the Jewish community "is fearful of yet further attacks".

"They feel intimidated and hurt by the disrespectful behaviour of some terrorist-supporting protesters who continue to fuel hatred on our streets", he said.

Millar asked Morgan to condemn such protests, the first minister called for "extreme sensitivity on this day of all days".

"It is our responsibilities as leaders within our communities to make sure that we are appealing for people to calm down and not to raise the temperatures at a really sensitive time," she said.

Millar agreed with Morgan in calling for an end to the war in Gaza, but said he was "a little bit disappointed and sad that I didn't feel that you gave an answer to the question that I posed".

Asking Morgan again if protests should be called off, the first minister replied: "I think its important that we support people's rights to protest."

She added: "I think today is a day when you need to be sensitive."

Later, she was challenged by Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth over proposals by the home secretary to give police powers over repeated protests.

Senior officers will be able to consider the "cumulative impact" of previous protests, the Home Office says, which could mean instructing organisers to hold events elsewhere if a site has seen repeated demonstrations.

Ap Iorwerth asked if she agreed that the right to protest should be protected.

"I agree absolutely that the right to protest is a fundamental principle within our society," she said.

Ap Iorwerth said: "The home secretary appears to be threatening a blanket punishment of all protesters due to the behaviour of a small minority."