Boris Johnson Wouldn’t Allow Jesus Into the UK, English Archbishop Says
Britain’s Prime Minister Johnson is pushing for an Australian-style points-based system for prospective immigrants, which would open up the country to highly skilled immigration while curbing the number of unskilled newcomers.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the senior cleric of the Church of England, has claimed that Jesus Christ would be denied entry into the UK under the proposed immigration rules.
“Our founder Jesus Christ was of course not white, middle class and British – he certainly wouldn’t have got a visa – unless we’re particularly short of carpenters,” the Archbishop said on Monday during a discussion on social justice at a London conference, to a round of applause from the audience.
The Leave campaign — where Johnson was one of the loudest voices — was largely focused on taking control of immigration, while Conservative governments have for years promised to reduce the difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants to below 100,000 a year. That target has been missed repeatedly.
If Brexit finally happens, it will end the EU freedom of movement rules for Britain, and the government will have to strike up separate bilateral deals to allow non-British citizens to live and work in the UK (free movement is reportedly being explored with Australia as part of a prospective post-Brexit trade deal).
Prior to his election as prime minister, Boris Johnson had campaigned for a points-based immigration system akin to that used in Australia, which selects immigrants based on the score they get for a range of characteristics, from language proficiency to educational qualifications. In effect, it reduces the number of unskilled workers while encouraging the inflow of “people of talent”, as Johnson himself put it.
This is also akin to Canada’s use of immigration as a component of ‘population policy’; since eugenics is considered unethical in a liberal society, the country must use immigration in order to effectively regulate the population, especially given that more educated people tend to have fewer children.
Johnson also made it clear that this proposed “equal” system wouldn’t differentiate between EU- and non-EU nationals. The system would be employed if the Conservative Party wins the December general election. Other major parties, including the Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems, have opposed it.
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