Church leaders are told to explain their checks on asylum seekers who claim to ... trends now

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Church leaders have been asked to explain the checks they make when offering support to asylum seekers who claim to be Christian converts.

The Home Office has requested details amid concerns conversion is being abused in the wake of the scandal over Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi.

A working group has been set up between officials and representatives of a number of Christian denominations – but it is understood churches have been 'reluctant' to engage on the subject.

A source close to Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed last night: 'We have urged church leaders to share their mechanisms for how decisions to speak on behalf of an individual at a tribunal are taken and what criteria are applied to assess the validity of that conversion.'