Welby wades in again: Archbishop of Canterbury says trust in our institutions needs to be ‘rediscovered’ after Partygate scandal
- The Archbishop of Canterbury said standards in public life must be rediscovered
- Justin Welby said in times of trouble our national institutions should be reliable
- The archbishop has also criticised the Government’s Rwanda asylum seeker plan
The Archbishop of Canterbury waded into the Partygate row by saying ‘we need to rediscover’ good standards in public life.
Justin Welby said the report shows that ‘culture, behaviour and standards in public life’ matter.
In a statement, the archbishop said ‘we need to be able to trust our national institutions’ in difficult periods.
‘Sue Gray’s report shows that culture, behaviour and standards in public life really matter,’ he said. ‘We need to be able to trust our national institutions, particularly in times of great trouble.’
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (pictured) has criticised the Government’s ‘culture, behaviour and standards’ following the release of Sue Gray’s report
Sue Gray (pictured) released her report yesterday, after which Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised but said he would not quit his role
He added: ‘Jesus commands us to serve the most vulnerable and those in need.
‘To help achieve this, we must recover the principles of mutual flourishing and the common good in the way we are governed.
‘Standards in public life are the glue that holds us together – we need to rediscover them and abide by them.’
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson defied fresh calls to resign following the publication of Ms Gray’s report into lockdown law-breaking parties at Downing Street.
Last month the archbishop also criticised the Government over its plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said there were “serious ethical questions” about using “deterrence” to stop asylum seekers reaching the UK.
He added that that he opposed sending “traumatised” people more than 4,000 miles away without their consent.