149 charities and faith leaders have come together in an urgent call against the Government’s decision to effectively ban tens of thousands of refugees from ever becoming British citizens.

Organised by the Refugee Council, the letter to the Home Secretary has been signed by 148 signatories from across the refugee, migrant and children’s sectors, but also faith leaders including rabbis and bishops in the House of Lords.

The letter has been featured in the Guardian.

You can read it in full here below:

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Home Secretary
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

16 February 2025

Dear Home Secretary,

We are writing as organisations including people with lived experience of seeking asylum, faith groups and those who work with refugees, to ask you to urgently reconsider the decision to effectively ban tens of thousands of refugees from ever becoming British citizens.

Since July 2024, the Government has taken welcome steps to address the dysfunctional asylum system it inherited. In particular, removing the barriers to the processing of asylum claims means that those people in need of protection can be allowed to rebuild their lives in the UK. There must be a focus on ensuring they are welcomed and integrated into British life.

It was only last August that violent mobs sought to burn refugees alive in a hotel. Those communities are still healing from that violence and part of the response to the violence should be on creating integrated communities. Labelling refugees, who through no fault of their own have had to put their lives at risk on flimsy vessels, or have had to hide in the backs of lorries to reach safety on our shores, as a type of second class individual will simply breed division and distrust. It risks playing into a toxic politics that pits ‘us vs them’ and is then manipulated by the far right to bring hate and disorder to our streets.

Previous Labour governments have recognised the importance of citizenship. Under Tony Blair’s administration, the key stated aim of the 2005 paper ‘Integration Matters: A National Strategy for Refugee Integration’, was “to help as many refugees as possible to take up citizenship of the UK if they wish.” It recognised the role of citizenship in fostering integration and the proportion of refugees applying for citizenship was a key indicator for the strategy.

Over generations, refugees who had to risk their lives because there wasn’t a safe way to reach the UK have become proud British citizens in many professions including as doctors, entrepreneurs and also politicians representing their communities. Many have been honoured by the royal family for their achievements. Citizenship is not just a legal status; it is a tangible fulfilment of the promise of safety, dignity, and opportunity. When refugees become citizens, they feel a greater sense of belonging as full members of their communities with a stable future for themselves, their children and generations to come.

We urge you to reverse this change and instead work with us and others up and down the country to celebrate the country’s heritage of welcoming refugees and focus on the importance of a shared community that delivers for all.

Yours sincerely,

Enver Solomon, Chief Executive, Refugee Council
Sabir Zazai, Chief Executive, Scottish Refugee Council
Andrea Cleaver, Chief Executive, Welsh Refugee Council
Tim Naor Hilton, Chief Executive, Refugee Action
Bridget Young, Director, NACCOM
Leila Zadeh, Executive Director, Rainbow Migration
Sonya Sceats, Chief Executive, Freedom from Torture                                                                                Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future
Siân Summers-Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK
Matthew McGregor, Chief Executive, 38 Degrees
Gavin Smart, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Housing
Christina McAnea, General Secretary, UNISON
Tufail Hussain, UK Director, Islamic Relief
Lord Bishop of Sheffield, The Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox
Lord Bishop of Bristol, The Rt Revd Vivienne Faull
Lord Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani
Lord Bishop of Derby, The Rt Revd Libby Lane
Lord Bishop of Gloucester, The Rt Revd Rachel Treweek
Lord Bishop of Leicester, Rt Revd Martyn Snow
Lord Bishop of Manchester, The Rt Revd David Stuart Walker,
Lord Bishop of Southwark, The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun
Bishop of Dover, The Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin
David Mason, Executive Director, HIAS+JCORE
Rabbi Igor Zinkov, Co-Chair of the Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors
Rabbi Anna Wolfson, Co-Chair of the Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors
Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen, Co-Chair of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis and Cantors
Rabbi Naomi Goldman, Kol Chai Hatch End Reform Jewish Community.
Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director, Rene Cassin (The Jewish voice for human rights)
Revd Helen Cameron and Mrs Carolyn Godfrey, President and Vice-President, of the Methodist Conference
Revd Philip Brooks, Deputy General Secretary (Mission), the United Reformed Church
Revd. Lynn Green, General Secretary, The Baptist Union of Great Britain
Christine Bacon, Co-Artistic Director, Ice and Fire Theatre Company
Indre Lechtimiakyte – Abercrombie, Legal and Migrant Support Manager, Samphire
Andy Durma, Chief Executive, West End Refugee Service (WERS)
Catharine Walston, Trustee, Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign
Stuart Hearne, Director, Islington Law Centre
Lewis Garland, Chief Executive, Fences & Frontiers
Nuno Ferreira, Professor of Law, University of Sussex
Jeannie Tweedie, Co-Director, Elmbridge CAN
Louise Calvey, Executive Director, Asylum Matters
Minnie Rahman, Chief Executive, Praxis
STAR Sussex
Bobby Lloyd, Chief Executive, ART REFUGE
Linda El-Miligy, Centre Manager Esolperth English Language Lessons
Nazek Ramadan, Director, Migrant Voice
Steve Smith, Chief Executive, Care4Calais
Helen Slee, Chair, Together Now
Zita Holbourne, Co-founder and National Chair, BARAC UK
Amanda Church-Mcfarlane, Chief Executive, Abigail Housing
Stephanie Neville, Project Manager, Stories of Hope and Home
Jabbar Hasan, Director, Iraqi Association
Patrick O’Dowd, Director, Caritas Salford
Anna Pincus, Director, Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group
Jo Benefield, Campaign Coordinator, Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers Campaign
Mrs Wendy Bond, Trustee, Northumberland County of Sanctuary
Ben Gilchrist, Chief Executive Officer, Caritas Shrewsbury
Liam Allmark, Acting Deputy Director, Jesuit Refugee Service UK
Mary Brooks, Chair, BEACON Bradford
Rosie MacPherson, Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Stand and Be Counted Theatre
Joanna Knight, Director, merl
Dot Read, Chair, Conversation Club Leeds
Rebecca Didi, Senior Trauma-Informed Therapist, We Are Survivors
Sebastian Rocca, Founder and Chief Executive, Microrainbow
Dr Alexa Netty, Chief Executive, SolidariTee
Kate Alexander, Director, Scottish Detainee Visitors
Gisela Renolds, Executive Director, Global Link
Abigail Martin, Chief Executive, St Chad’s Sanctuary
Shari Brown, Chair, Birmingham City of Sanctuary
Barbara Forbes, Local Lead, Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary
Laura Llamas, Marketing & Communications Manager, ACH – Refugee Integration Services
Rachel Kelly, Chief Executive, Women’s Health Matters
Maja Moller, St Thomas Church Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Network
Emma Hawthorne, Chair, Birmingham Community Hosting Network (Birch)
Debbie Royle, Deputy Director, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum
Sheila Rushforth, Director, Journey LGBT Asylum group
Liz Griffith, Head of Migration Justice, Law Centre NI
Nathan D Ndlovu, Chairman, Coventry Asylum & Refugee Action Group (CARAG)
Lucy Nabijou, Coordinator, Haringey Welcome
Miriam Philip, Chief Executive, Waterloo Community Counselling
Alison Moore, CEO, Refugee Women Connect
Jonathan Ellis, Project Director, The Detention Forum
Ros Holland, Chief Executive, Boaz Trust
Mary Stretch: Chief Executive & Founder, Calais Light
Dr Jane Stockley, Malvern Welcomes
Jude Munden, Chair, Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugees
Harriet Paterson, HostNation
Charles Dobson, Skipton Refugee Support Group
Nikki Walters, Chair, Southampton Action
Hannah Williams, Interim Chief Executive, Separated Child
Katie Hall, Advocacy Coordinator, Project Play
Rima Amin, Founder, Cartoons Not Cruelty
Jane Lippitt, Co Chair, East Meets West
Dawn B Judd, Chair, Preston City of Sanctuary
James Wilson, Director, Detention Action
The VOICES Network
Dr Jeni Williams, Chair, Swansea Women’s Asylum and Refugee Support group
Patricia Durr, Chief Executive, ECPAT UK
Jonny Willis, Co-Chief Executive, Refugee Youth Service
Summerly Devito & Jane Lancashire, Joint Chief Executives & Co-founders, the Launchpad collective
Dr Vincent Manning, Executive Director, Catholics for AIDS Prevention & Support (CAPS)
Heather Petch, Executive Director, Refugee Futures
Vicki Felgate and Kayte Cable, Co-founders, Big Leaf Foundation
Beth Brady, interim Chief Executive, Kalayaan
Charlotte Buckley, Director, Bail for Immigration Detainees
Kerry Smith, Chief Executive, Helen Bamber Foundation
Alison Pickup, Executive Director, Asylum Aid
Kamena Dorling, Co-chair, Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium
Josie Naughton, Chief Executive and Co-Founder, Choose Love
Tigs Louis-Puttick, Director, Reclaim The Sea
Isaac Shaffer, Legal Director, Refugee Legal Support
Ginny Baumann, Steering Committee, Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network
Rosalyn Akar Grams, Managing Director of Legal Practice and Children’s Rights, Coram Children’s Legal Centre
Tom Newman, Creative Director, Fable
Steve Newman, Chair, FODI
Cameron Boyle, Manchester City of Sanctuary
Ms Jayni Gudka, Founder & Chief Executive, Sama Sama International
Dr Wanda Wyporska, Chief Executive, Safe Passage International
Jacobo Belilty, Coordinator, Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK (CLAUK)
Irene Austin, Chair, Herts Welcomes Refugees
Simon Tyler, Executive Director, Doctors of the World UK
Lis Murphy, Creative Director, music action international
Chris Nash, Director, European Network on Statelessness
Aderonke Apata, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, African Rainbow Family
Gisela Valle, Executive Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS)
Joanne MacInnes, Director, West London Welcome
Andreea Dumitrache, Chief Executive, the3million
Christopher Desira, Director, Seraphus
Nicola David, Founder, One Life To Live
Humphrey Forrest, Trustee, Welcome House
Charlie Fraser, Co-Founder, The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN)
Mel Steel, Director, Voices in Exile
Catriona Cappleman, Acting Chair, Christian Concern for One World (CCOW)
Catherine Margham, Knaresborough and Harrogate District of Sanctuary
Kate Smart, Chief Executive, Settled
Bruna Boscaini, Director, Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation
Ewa Lelontko, Co-founder, Voices Without Borders
Margaret Ravenscroft, Co-Director, HEAL Collective
Lara Parizotto, Executive Director, Migrant Democracy Project
Rose Njoroge, Slough Refugee Support
Becky Moore, Chief Executive, Hackney Migrant Centre
Nick Harborne, Chief Executive, Refugee Support Group
Leyla McLennan, Founding Director, Routes Collective Helen Hartstein, Chair, Refugee Support Devon
Maya Esslemont, Director, After Exploitation
Paola Uccellari, Chief Executive, Young Roots
Amos Schonfield, Chief Executive, Second Home
Denise McDowell, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
Epsom & Ewell Refugee Network
Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees

This list has 149 names because one charity was added on 19.2.25