I was heartened to learn that the Welsh Government agrees that the asylum system is ‘broken’ and that the UK Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill, currently being debated in the Houses of Parliament, ‘severely undermines our vision of Wales as a Nation of Sanctuary’.

The Welsh government condemns the Bill’s proposal to open detention centres, euphemistically called “accommodation centres” in Wales as well as the rest of the UK, pointing out that this “will undermine our Nation of Sanctuary vision”.

There is much more in the report that everyone should read.

The plight of refugees is becoming more and more obvious to us all as the illegal Russian war with Ukraine causes more people to seek refuge and as climate chaos makes more places unsafe.

Every country needs to take their fair share of refugees and to treat them fairly and with compassion rather than turning them away or locking them up as if they were criminals.

The statement ends with a reaffirmation with which I fully agree: “Wales is a welcoming nation and we will always stand with those who need us the most. We want the UK Government to change course and to advance – not diminish – the legal, equitable and moral standing of the United Kingdom.”

Angie Zelter,

Knighton