Boris Johnson accuses Justin Welby of ‘misconstruing’ Rwanda policy
Sources said the Prime Minister made the attack in a speech to Tory MPs after apologising over his coronavirus fine.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson is said to have accused Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby of having “misconstrued” the policy of sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Sources close to the Prime Minister said he accused the senior clergyman of being “less vociferous” in his condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin than he was in his attack on the policy.
The criticism from Mr Johnson appeared to have come in a private address to Tory MPs in Parliament after he was forced to repeatedly apologise over the fine he received from police for breaching coronavirus laws.
Mr Welby raised “serious ethical questions” about the policy in his Easter Sunday address and said it cannot “stand the judgment of God”.
In the sermon, the archbishop said “sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well, like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures”.
But sources said Mr Johnson accused “senior members of the clergy” of having “misconstrued the policy”.
The Prime Minister was said to have then added that the clergymen were “less vociferous” in their condemnation on Easter Sunday of Mr Putin than they were on the migration policy.
Though Mr Welby did not mention Russian president Vladimir Putin by name, he did call for a “Russian ceasefire, withdrawal and a commitment to talks”.
And he repeatedly criticised the invasion and discussed the plight of the Ukrainian people living through and fleeing the war.
Mr Johnson was met by the typical banging of tables and walls by Tory MPs during the speech in a Commons committee room on Tuesday evening.
Former prime minister Theresa May earlier said she does not support the policy of sending migrants who arrive by unauthorised means 4,000 miles to East Africa.
And she questioned the “legality, practicality and efficacy” of the widely-criticised plans.
But senior Tory Dame Andrea Leadsom criticised as “absolutely abhorrent and inexplicable” criticism from people like Mr Welby.
Meanwhile, addressing the Prime Minister after his speech, the Tory MP for Colne Valley, Jason McCartney, was heard accusing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of a “whipping up of hysteria” and of using language that showed a “visceral hatred” of the Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson replied that there had been a “coarsening of the debate that does our politics no favours”.