Suella denies hypocricy in push for low migration
Suella Braverman has insisted it is not hypocritical for her, the child of migrants, to push for lower migration.
Addressing the National Conservatism Conference, the Home Secretary also arguedthat‘youcannothaveimmigrationwithoutintegration’ and ‘the unexamined drive towards multiculturalism’ is a ‘recipeforcommunaldisaster’.
The Fareham MP was the star attraction of the first day of the three-day gathering in Westminster, but her speech, like that of Jacob Rees-Mogg's earlier, was interrupted by protesters who were quickly hauled out.
She set out the Conservativephilosophyinstilledinher by her parents, whose arrival storiesintheUKsherecounted in a wide-ranging speech that will be seen in the context of her leadership ambitions.
Shesaid:‘Ours,likemyparents', is a politics of optimism ofpride,nationalunity,aspiration, and realism. The left's is a politics of pessimism, guilt, nationaldivision,resentment, and utopianism.’
Ms Braverman said that people who come to the UK ‘must not commit crimes’, ‘need to learn English and understandBritishsocialnorms’ and‘cannotsimplyturnupand say:“Iliveherenow,youhaveto look after me”.’
Her parents ‘embraced British values’, she said, adding that ‘you cannot have immigrationwithoutintegration’.
Shesaid:‘Andifwelackthe confidence to promote our culture, to defend our values andvenerateourpast,thenwe have nothing to integrate people into.’
She argued that Britons should not feel ‘terrible about ourpast’andthat‘whitepeople donotexistinaspecialstateof sin or collective guilt’.
Ms Braverman said that while preventing ‘illegal migration’ in the Channel is the
Government's priority, they ‘must not lose sight of the importance of controlling legal migration as well’.
She said: ‘It's not racist for anyone,ethnicminorityorotherwise, to want to control our borders.
‘I reject the left's argument that it's hypocritical for someone from an ethnic minority, like mine, to know these facts or to speak these truths.’
Herspeechwillbeseenasa warningtoCabinetcolleagues against relaxing immigration visa rules in a bid to boost growth, and comes as Rishi Sunak grapples with signs of discontentwithinpartyranks.