The BBC has apologised and retrospectively edited a segment of Radio 4's Thought for the Day after a theologian described comments by Robert Jenrick about asylum seekers as 'xenophobia'. Krish Kandiah, head of the Sanctuary Foundation, made the remarks during Wednesday's episode of the Today programme, prompting an angry response from the shadow justice secretary.
Kandiah quoted from a Mail on Sunday article in which Jenrick said he did not want his children to share a neighbourhood with 'immigrant men with backward views who broke into Britain illegally'. The theologian said the technical name for such fear was 'xenophobia', arguing that most small boat arrivals were fleeing war, persecution and famine, and that there was no evidence migrants posed a greater danger to children than others.
The BBC said it had removed 'some of the language used' by Kandiah from the online version, stating it was not appropriate for the faith-based segment. A BBC spokesperson said: 'While its reflection on fear in society from a faith perspective is broadly in line with expectations of Thought for the Day, some of the language it used went beyond that and we apologise for its inclusion.' The corporation apologised to Jenrick and said the edit was made without an external complaint.
Jenrick posted on X that listeners were told 'if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist', adding: 'Wrong. You're a good parent.' Labour peer Alf Dubs, a child refugee, said he believed xenophobia was an accurate description of Jenrick's comments. Kandiah is understood not to have been banned from returning to the programme.
