London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Church of England reacts to claims it's linked to refugees tricking system 

Church of England reacts to claims it's linked to refugees tricking system 

The Church of England has rejected allegations that it helped asylum seekers to ‘game’ the immigration system by converting from Islam to Christianity, claiming it does not allow people to “dodge the law.”
The Church of England came under the spotlight on Tuesday after it was reported that the Liverpool bomb suspect Emad Al Swealmeen converted to Christianity after arriving in the UK from the Middle East.

Addressing the reports, a Home Office source was reportedly quoted as saying that the Liverpool bomber attempted to “game the system” by converting to Christianity.

Home Secretary Priti Patel reiterated this accusation, arguing that illegal immigrants are given opportunities to exploit the “broken” asylum system in the UK in an attempt to remain in the country.

The Church’s spokesperson, Ben Ryan, blasted any suggestion that religious figures are responsible, arguing that it’s not their duty to assess “asylum claims or security implications.”

“The Church takes the Sacrament of baptism extremely seriously. It is not given out just because it is asked for, and never as a means to dodge the law,” Ryan stated.

Al Swealmeen converted to Christianity at a ceremony in Liverpool in 2017, according to an evangelical couple, Elizabeth and Malcolm Hitchcott, who housed him for eight months.

The home secretary is planning to push forward with a proposal to overhaul the asylum system to prevent individuals from using the “merry-go-round” of appeals “at the expense of the taxpayers”.

Al Swealmeen was refused permission to remain in the UK after filing an asylum claim back in 2014. According to the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, which handles appeals, Al Swealmeen had lodged an initial appeal but that too was rejected. It is not known if he had sought any other methods to remain or if the Home Office had informed him he was due to be removed from the UK.

Britain’s counterterrorism police are leading an investigation into an explosion outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Sunday, when an IED exploded in a taxi, killing Al Swealmeen and injuring the driver of the vehicle. Authorities haven’t said what they believe motivated the attempted attack
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×