The Archbishop of Canterbury has been accused of helping ‘evil’ gangs by trying to block the Rwanda Bill.
Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted the legislation is designed to tackle the scourge of people-smuggling gangs.
Swiping that bishops are fond of talking about ‘good and evil’, he said critics had no ‘alternative plan’ of how to address the problems.
Justin Welby has been among the fiercest opponents of the Rwanda proposals, telling the House of Lords last week that the government was ‘leading the nation down a damaging path’.
He has suggested that the scheme is the ‘opposite of the nature of God’.
However, speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Mr Cleverly said: ‘This is evil being done. I’m trying to do something about it.
‘Bishops talks about good and evil. We’ve got to do something about it.
Justin Welby insisted Britain must ‘do better’ than the government’s crucial legislation as it was debated in the House of Lords for the first time last month
Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted the legislation is designed to tackle the scourge of people-smuggling gangs
A file photograph of migrants about to be picked up in the Channel
‘For those people who disagree with how I’m going about it, I get that. But where’s the alternative plan? These are people smugglers. These are criminals. They are perpetrating an evil.’
Mr Cleverly said the Rwanda Bill was ‘far, far too important’ to ‘entertain wrecking amendments’ and challenged his critics to come up with other options ahead of it returning to the House of Lords.
‘Unless they are able to put forward some credible alternative as a deterrent, they should let me deploy this alongside the other things we are doing,’ he said.
‘There is nothing honourable, there is nothing righteous, about removing one of the tools to break criminality.’
The Safety of Rwanda Bill is due back in the House of Lords next week, having passed second reading stage last month despite an attempt to kill it off.
The legislation aims to declare Rwanda a safe country and overcome objections raised by the Supreme Court, which declared the scheme unlawful in November.
The PM warned peers not to ‘frustrate the will of the people’, urging them to ‘do the right thing’ and pass the Bill ‘as quickly as possible’.
But the Bill was booed as it was formally introduced to the House, and now faces sustained efforts at delay and amendment.
The House of Lords has started debating the government legislation this afternoon
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