The Archbishop of Canterbury on Sunday criticised the UK government over its plans to send migrants seeking asylum in Britain to Rwanda, saying the decision raised “serious ethical questions”.

In his Easter Sunday sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Justin Welby argued that the specific details of the UK’s asylum programme were for “politics and politicians”, but voiced concern over the plans, which have been met with an outpouring of anger by leading charities and human rights groups.

“The principle must stand the judgment of God and it cannot,” Welby said. “And it cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values, because subcontracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures.”