THE Bishop of Guildford has called for a higher allocation of refugees to the UK.

The Rt Revd Andrew Watson has issued an appeal for the UK to accept 50,000 refugees over five years, and highlighted the plight of Christians fleeing from refugee camps.

“As the plight of millions of displaced people across Europe and the Middle East heightens, I welcome the news that EU leaders have pledged a further one billion Euros of crucial aid. Meanwhile I am greatly encouraged to hear many stories from around the Diocese of Guildford, where individuals and parishes are rallying to offer prayer and support.

“Echoing the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, I commend our government’s strong commitment to the world’s poorest people through the delivery of the aid budget. I am however deeply concerned that the UK’s target of 20,000 refugees over five years - slightly more than a Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon - falls short of what we can achieve.

“The Prime Minister has commented that a ‘comprehensive response’ is required to solve the crisis. I therefore urge him and his government firstly to benchmark our intake of refugees against numbers being offered by our European neighbours, and secondly to ensure that Christians who have already fled camps in Syria, Jordan and Turkey in fear of religious persecution are not alienated from the UK’s resettlement provision.

“From what my Bishop colleagues and I witness in congregations across the United Kingdom, we are confident that the country stands ready and willing to support the government to be even more ambitious as it responds to this historic crisis, and would urge that a number closer to 50,000 over five years be targeted, bringing us into line with comparable commitments by other countries."