Thread: ENGLAND: Migrants to be forced to learn English

Migrants to be forced to learn English, Brown to pledge today
06.11.07

Gordon Brown is expected to announce new UK citizens will be forced to learn English in a dramatic move to tackle the ongoing immigration row.

The new initiative, part of a wide-ranging raft of policies, will be unveiled as part of the Queen's Speech later today.

Mr Brown is also expected to reveal new immigrants could be forced to undertake community work before they are given full British citizenship.

Brown: facing opposition over new bills


All the policies are part of the draft Citizenship and Immigration Bill, the latest weapon in Mr Brown's armoury to tackle public concerns over immigration and polling evidence that it has risen to the top of voters' priorities.

As well as setting out moves for compulsory English language tests for prospective migrants, it will open the way for Mr Brown's plans to set out more clearly the rights and responsibilities of those who want to become British citizens.

Labour also believes that its point-based system for non-skilled migrants will cut non-EU immigration by up to 35,000 a year.

This year's Queen's speech is Mr Brown's first legislative programme, which will also be packed with measures on education and Europe that he hopes will restore his fortunes by embarrassing David Cameron.

A major initiative will be paving the way for the taxpayer to fund political parties with up to £25million a year.

But Mr Brown faces opposition from campaigners who say he will use new party funding laws to land the taxpayer with a huge bill.

Ministers are pressing him to accept the recommendations of senior civil servant Sir Hayden Phillips, who suggested using a combination of matching funds and pay-per-vote to give cash to political parties.

Cross-party talks on funding collapsed last week, but the Tories suspect Mr Brown may decide to endorse the Phillips recommendations and impose them on the parties.

The formula would give parties £10 for every £10 they raise from donors, to a maximum of £ 10million.

They would also receive 40p a year for every vote they received at the last General Election. Based on the 2005 figures, this would give Labour £3.8million, the Tories £ 3.5million, and the Liberal Democrats £2.4million.

There would be additional cash for votes won in elections for the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly and the European parliament, bringing the total taxpayer funding package to an estimated £25million a year.

Mr Brown's allies say he will close a loophole that allows Tory billionaire donor Lord Ashcroft to channel extra cash to candidates in marginal seats.

The Queen's Speech is being seen as Mr Brown's chance to regain the initiative after he was forced to scrap plans for an autumn election by a Tory surge in the polls.

Labour activists have complained publicly that Mr Brown lacks "vision", while ministers have privately urged him to "get a grip" after a string of self-inflicted political blunders.



'Opportunities for families': Housing minister Yvette Cooper

There are likely to be few surprises in a programme that was previewed by the Prime Minister in July when he published a draft list of 23 Bills.

Housing legislation will provide for an estimated 200,000 extra homes in new "eco towns", Government sources claimed last night.

Additional measures on immigration, due to be published next year, will implement Mr Brown's promise of more stringent English language requirements for immigrants.

A Health and Social Care Bill will establish a single regulator covering the NHS and children in care, and pensions will be covered as well.

A Climate Change Bill will herald new moves on the environment, a Coroner's Bill will establish the office of a new Chief Coroner presiding over reforms to the inquest system, and an Unclaimed Assets Bill will seek to reunite owners with their deposits in dormant bank accounts or see the proceeds go to charity.

A new Criminal Justice Bill will seek to ensure the UK does not provide a safe haven for foreign criminals and terrorists.

Mr Brown's allies hope measures such as raising the school leaving age to 18, implementing the EU Reform Treaty, increasing the house building programme, and party funding will expose what they claim is a Tory "policy vacuum".

They argue Mr Cameron is vulnerable to accusations that he does not yet have a fully thought- out programme and cannot compete with Mr Brown on policy.

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said the policies being announced today showed that Labour was expanding opportunities for families with more affordable housing and the chance for young people to get a better education.

"Brownfield land is the priority for homes. It's for councils to decide in their area where the homes should be built," she told GMTV.

"We have seen a reduction of homes being built on greenfield land."

She said disused public sector land was also being considered for new homes.

When asked about the possibility of police holding terrorism suspects for 56 days without charge in future, Ms Cooper said: "I think we all have to recognise there are serious challenges facing us. These are the sort of challenges we didn't face 10, 20 years ago."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/arti ... rtComments


Interesting responses at comment section. Follow the link.

Hi Nouveauxpoor,

In the context of the UK this plan is a direct equivalent of the Kennedy-Kyl act in the US. British prime minister Brown is as trustworthy on immigration as Hitler was on human rights issues.

Do they get deported if they don't pass the English test?

NO!!

Integrating the world is not going as expected for the one world globalists ,ME THINKS! DO YOU THINK?

How utterly barbaric - forcing people to learn the national/native language!?!?!? [/end sarcasm]