6th July, 2019
The man likely to be the next British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has demanded that immigrants to the UK learn English because ‘there are too many parts of the country where it is not the first language.’
Mr Johnson made the comments while at a Tory leadership hustings in Darlington on Friday where he also said he wants immigrants ‘to be and feel British’.
He highlighted Bangladeshis and Jewish refugees as examples of how to adapt, saying they ‘have made their lives and have helped to make our national culture’.
‘That’s what I want for our country, I want everybody who comes here and makes their lives here to be and to feel British,’ he said. ‘That’s the most important thing. And to learn English.
‘Too often there are parts of our country and parts of London still and other cities as well where English is not spoken by some people as their first language.
‘That needs to be changed and people need to be allowed to take part in the economy and in society in the way that that shared experience would allow.’
His comments were met with a frosty reception by some however, with leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds saying: ‘Here in Wales, we know that not speaking English as your first language is no barrier to having a thriving community.’
*First published by Mail Online