Archbishop of Canterbury warns politicians to use ‘kinder’ language

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned Boris Johnson and other MPs to avoid using inflammatory language as the UK gears up for a general election.

Justin Welby said it was “extraordinarily dangerous for politicians to use careless comments” in a “polarised and volatile” society.

In an interview with The Sunday Times he said that that use of words like “traitor” and “fascist” had left MPs fearing for their lives. Asked about Mr Johnson’s use of the word “humbug”, Archbishop Welby said he was “shocked” and that such concerns “should never be dismissed in that way”.

“Death threats are really serious and they need to be taken seriously.

“All sides need to say, ‘That is totally and utterly unacceptable’. I think we have become addicted to an abusive and binary approach to political decisions: ‘It’s either this or you’re my total enemy’.”

Archbishop Welby added that “inflammatory words” had been said by politicians and voters on all sides of the political divide – which then risked being “amplified” by social media.

The Archbishop said that many MPs and peers had approached him for guidance after being driven to “the end of their tether” by the Brexit process, which has seen certain rebels expelled from their party.

“The stress is enormous. And they’re being threatened a great deal and they’re finding age-old friendships breaking down.”