The leaders of seven UK Christian denominations have written to the country’s new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, expressing “urgent concern” over the impact of a “no deal” Brexit on the country’s poor.
The leaders – who include Rev Dr Barbara Glasson, president of the Methodist Conference, Rev Lynn Green, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and Rev Nigel Uden, moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church as well as representatives of the Church of Scotland, the Salvation Army, the Quakers, and Baptist Unions in Wales and Scotland – say they were “compelled” to write the letter “expressing our urgent concern about your position that leaving the European Union without a deal is acceptable”.
Britain’s new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, delivers a speech outside Downing Street, in London, on 24th July. PICTURE: Reuters/Peter Nicholls
“The impacts of a no-deal Brexit are at best highly uncertain, and at worst deeply worrying,” they write. “Our view that it would put at risk the welfare and safety of the poorest communities in the UK is formed on the basis of the best available evidence, including our presence in local communities in every part of the UK. It is notable that assurances about our ability to cope with a no-deal Brexit, while frequent, are yet to be supported by substantial evidence.”
In the letter, which is dated 24th July, the leaders tell Johnson that his government’s “willingness to embrace a no-deal Brexit places upon it a responsibility to demonstrate that the most vulnerable in our communities, those locked in poverty, will not be harmed”.
People are being encouraged to become a signatory to the letter which is hosted online.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has asked for prayers for Johnson in a tweet. “We pray for wisdom and courage at this time of great challenge as we work to build a shared vision for the future of our country and all its people,” he wrote.
