More than 720 faith leaders across the UK have added their names to a letter calling on the Home Secretary to protect the right of refugees to be reunited with their families. The letter, coordinated by the Joint Public Issues Team of the Baptist, Methodist, and United Reformed Churches, warns that proposed changes to asylum policy would deepen human suffering rather than reduce dangerous Channel crossings.

Baptist Union General Secretary Lynn Green was among the signatories who gathered outside Parliament to make their voices heard. The message was direct: narrowing the definition of family and restricting safe legal routes does not reduce the desperation that drives people to risk their lives. It simply removes the safer options, leaving smuggling networks as the only alternative.

This kind of collective faith voice carries a particular moral weight. These are not abstract policy positions — they are rooted in a theology of welcome, in the biblical command to love the stranger, and in the lived experience of churches that have walked alongside refugee families in their communities.

The letter arrives at a moment when the UK's asylum policy is under intense scrutiny. Whether or not it changes government minds, it sends a clear signal that the churches of Britain are watching, and that they will continue to speak up for those who have no other voice.