Church leaders have failed to soften the British Government's Asylum and Immigration Bill. Despite an amendment passed in the House of Lords on 1 July with the backing of several bishops to soften the bill, this amendment was overturned by the House of Commons.
If finally passed the new regulations will mean that refugees will not have three days after their arrival in the country to claim asylum. They will now have to claim it immediately or lose their right to welfare benefits. The Archbishop of Canterbury said that he was disappointed by the Commons decision:"The Churches will now be amongst those monitoring the situation on the ground to see if the concerns they raised were justified," he said.