A senior church leader has branded it “perverse” that refugees seeking asylum in the UK are forced to make the dangerous Channel crossing in the absence of safe and legal routes.

The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Paul Butler, argued that families faced “an impossible choice” putting them at the mercy of the criminal gangs.

He made his comments as peers continued their detailed scrutiny of the controversial Illegal Migration Bill.

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He said: “I have despaired as I have witnessed the breakdown of our contribution to global efforts to support refugees find sanctuary.

“In the absence of safe and legal routes families are left with the impossible choice to travel informally to claim sanctuary in the UK and are thus at the mercy of smugglers taking criminal advantage.

“We often forget that in order to claim asylum in the UK a person has to be physically present here. But for those most likely to be in need of such protection there is no visa available for them for this and there are no UK consulates on European soil to claim asylum before making a dangerous journey.”

“The Government cannot deny that it is a choice to require refugees wishing to seek asylum here to rely on dangerous journeys if we don’t provide safe alternatives. This Bill provides an opportunity to demonstrate real leadership and make a different choice.

“How many children could have been spared the trauma of a dangerous journey with better safe and legal routes? So I find the situation perverse and I think we can and must do better.”