THERE are almost one million people in Britain who can barely speak English.
The revelation made in The Sun is as depressing as it is shocking.
GettyAlmost one million people in Britain can’t speak English[/caption]
GettyIf people can’t take the time to learn English, they shouldn’t be allowed to settle here[/caption]
GettySuccessive governments have failed massively on putting in basic policies to ensure migrants integrate[/caption]
That is a million people who can not properly blend into British society or have conversations with their neighbours.
It is bad for them and it is bad for the social fabric of our country.
In fact, if people can not take the time to learn English properly, they should not be allowed to settle here. It should be as simple as that. Let me explain why.
If you hear me speak, you would be forgiven for assuming I was born and raised in some quaint little village in the south of England, sipping tea and pronouncing my ‘T’s. In fact, I’ve often been asked which private school I went to.
Imagine people’s shock when I tell them I went to a state school in the middle of a council estate and that when I first arrived from Kenya, aged six, I could not speak a word of English.
I can still picture myself sitting in a classroom in my first school in England desperately trying to decode what on Earth everyone else was saying.
Biggest barriers
My English consisted of words I’d picked up from watching EastEnders and Only Fools And Horses. But I was determined to learn English and, eventually, I did.
After 24 years in this country, I can honestly say that no single thing has made a bigger difference to helping me and my family integrate than being able to speak the language.
Yet learning English is treated with such little urgency now that in one area near Leicester‘s city centre, 43 per cent of over-16s speak little to no English.
What sane person among us could possibly argue that is anything other than a disaster?
When the Conservatives came to power in 2010, it did appear that they were keen to finally grip this issue.
In 2014, then Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, the son of Pakistani migrants himself, urged migrants to learn English.
He was clear: “If you’re going to settle in Britain and make it your home, you should learn the language of the country and respect its laws and culture.”
He told of how he had personally met people who have been in Britain for over 50 years yet still could not speak English.
Eleven years later, things seem to have only got worse.
Being unable to speak English remains one of the biggest barriers to migrants fully integrating into British society.
Without English, people face higher unemployment, a life of low wages that need to be topped up by the taxpayer and limited opportunities to improve their lives.
It also puts additional pressure on essential services.
Living in Britain is not a right, it is a privilege that comes with responsibilities
For example, the Institute of Translation and Interpreting estimates that in 2019/20, the NHS spent around £60million on foreign language interpreters.
Recent figures also show that The Department for Work and Pensions has spent £27million on translators over the last five years.
How a jobcentre employee is meant to help a migrant into work if they can’t even speak to them without a translator is beyond me.
But this is not just about economics. One of my most favourite memories is the street parties for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
At the one I went to, I spent the whole afternoon chatting with neighbours, laughing and sharing stories. Never had I felt so connected to my community.
We might have been of different ages, backgrounds and colours, but we were united by one thing: We could actually communicate with each other in a shared language.
Yes, there are already laws in place to ensure those who are applying for permanent residency or citizenship can speak basic English.
Left to pick up bill
However, what this entails is an online test that takes 10-20 minutes — and you can fail 40 per cent of the questions and still pass. That is a complete farce.
The Government needs to step up. We can not afford to have whole communities disconnected from the mainstream by something as fundamental as language.
A person should not be allowed to stay in this country without proving they can speak English in a meaningful way that allows them to function properly and flourish in Britain. A quick online quiz simply will not do.
Successive governments have failed massively on putting in basic policies to ensure migrants integrate — and it’s the British taxpayer who are left to pick up the bill.
If the Government can not get it right on cutting migration, the very least they could do is make sure that every migrant learns English properly, like my family did, as a condition of being allowed to settle here.
It is rather simple: Living in Britain is not a right, it is a privilege that comes with responsibilities.
If you can not be bothered to learn the language of a country that has taken you in, you should not expect the country to bend over backwards to accommodate you.
CollectWhen Mercy arrived from Kenya, aged six, she couldn’t speak a word of English[/caption]
GettyIf the government can’t get it right on cutting migration, the very least they could do is make sure that every migrant learns English properly[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
