Strangers Into Citizens - Endorsements

Endorsements

The campaign was inspired by a call by the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who first raised the possibility at a Mass for Migrant Workers on 1 May 2006, organised by London Citizens. The Cardinal was moved to make the call following representations by a number of Catholic priests concerned at the welfare of some of their congregants who either faced destitution or were paid less than the London Living Wage (LLW). London Citizens was also concerned that the LLW, for which they had long campaigned, was being undermined by employers exploiting illegal immigrants.

The Cardinal's call was taken up by faith leaders across the UK, as well as by the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone., trade unions, migrant and refugee organisations, as well as policy think tanks from all sides of the political spectrum, among them Compas and the Institute of Public Policy Research as well as politicians in both Houses of Parliament. In 2007 dozens of MPs in all the main parties signed an Early Day Motion in favour of the proposal.

Strangers into Citizens was also supported by three out of six of the candidates to the deputy leadership of the Labour Party., including the winner of that contest, Harriet Harman, who is married to the campaign's leading trade union advocate Jack Dromey

A poll commissioned by the campaign shows most British people back the idea of giving status to those who have been living and working in the UK for many years.

Strangers into Citizens is supported by the major migrant NGOs in the UK (among them the Immigration Advisory Service, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Refugee Action, the Migrant Rights Network, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Churches' Refugee Forum).

The campaign's proposals have been supported by editorials in The Independent, The Tablet and The Universe, and advocated in articles published in the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, The Voice, the Observer, the Spectator, and the Evening Standard. The campaign has been strongly attacked in the Daily Express and the Sun. MigrationWatch also opposes the campaign.