UNITED KINGDOM: Prime Minister David Cameron tackles the hot topic of immigration in a speech in Southampton

Record ID: 590911

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Prime Minister David Cameron tackles the hot topic of immigration in a speech in Southampton
  • Date: 15th April 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - APRIL 2010) (REUTERS) WOMAN ARRANGING VEGETABLES EXTERIOR OF ASIAN FOOD SHOP MAN STACKING BOXES
  • Embargoed: 30th April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA63MBT21ZMMV03RKHI39P1G72T
  • Story Text: British prime minister David Cameron said on Thursday (April 14) he wants to see "good immigration, not mass immigration" and warned that past policies have undermined communities and allowed extremist parties to flourish.
    "Above all, I want to get the policy right. I want good immigration, not mass immigration. That is what a vast amount of people in this country want too."
    In his first major speech on the issue since taking power, Cameron said that problems in many communities stemmed from the fact that some migrants have been unwilling to learn English and integrate.
    "Real integration takes time too. That's why when there have been significant numbers of new people arriving in neighbourhoods, perhaps not able to speak the same language as those living there, on occasions not really wanting or even being willing to integrate, that has created a kind of discomfort and disjointedness in some neighbourhoods. This has been the experience for many people in our country. And I believe it's untruthful and unfair not to speak about it and not to address it," he said.
    Earlier on Thursday, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable said that the prime minister's choice of words was "very unwise", adding any talk mass immigration risks inflaming extremism.
    The government has also been criticised by the business community over its immigration policies, but Cameron was quick to clarify the government's strategy.
    "I want Britain to continue to attract the best workers. But it cannot be right, people coming to fill short-term skills gaps can stay long-term. As the cross-party balanced migration groups argue, it's essential that we break the link between temporary visas and permanent settlement," he said.
    The prime minister also pointed out that there's a need to tackle welfare dependency in order to really solve the immigration problem.
    "The real issue is this: migrants have been filling gaps in the labour market left wide open by a welfare system that for years has paid British people not to work. That is where the blame lies. At the door of our woeful welfare system and the last government who comprehensively failed to reform it. So I see it like this: immigration and welfare reform are two sides of the same coin. Put simply we will never control immigration properly unless we tackle welfare dependency."
    Cameron attacked the former Labour government's handling of the issue, saying that it presided over the largest influx of migrants in British history. According to Cameron, between 1997 and 2009, 2.2 million more people came to live in Britain than left the country to go elsewhere.
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