The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams argued that negative concerns about the impact of migration on British identity ‘betrays a lack of proper confidence in the capacity and the commitment of our society both to learn and to teach.’

His comments came in a lecture, ‘Enriching the arguments: the refugee contribution to British life’, delivered to a large audience at the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre, London. The event was organised by UCL together with the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA).

During the lecture, the Archbishop highlighted the importance of ‘critical reflection’ of society’s practices and values for maintaining and developing intellectual freedom. He also challenged arguments that migration poses a threat to British culture.