Braverman denies any hypocrisy on migration

Suella Braverman has insisted it is not hypocritical for her, as the child of migrants, to push for lower migration. Addressing the National Conservatism Conference, the home secretary also stated “you cannot have immigration without integration” and “the unexamined drive towards multiculturalism” is a “recipe for communal disaster”.

Ms Braverman was the star attraction on day one of the three-day gathering in Westminster.

Her speech, like Jacob Rees-Mogg’s earlier, was interrupted by protesters.

She told of the Tory philosophy instilled in her by her parents in a wideranging speech that will be seen in the context of her leadership ambitions.

She said: “Ours, like my parents’, is a politics of optimism, of pride, national unity, aspiration and realism. The left’s is a politics of pessimism, guilt, national division, resentment and utopianism.”

Ms Braverman said people who come to the UK “must not commit crimes”, “need to learn English and understand British social norms” and “cannot simply turn up and say: ‘I live here now, you have to look after me’”.

Her parents “embraced British values”, she said, and “you can’t have immigration without integration”. She added: “If we lack the confidence to promote our culture, to defend our values and venerate our past, then we have nothing to integrate people into.”

Ms Braverman said that while preventing “illegal migration” in the Channel is the government’s priority, it “must not lose sight of the importance of controlling legal migration as well”.

She said: “It’s not racist for anyone, ethnic minority or otherwise, 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.”

Her speech will be seen as a warning to cabinet colleagues against relaxing immigration visa rules in a bid to boost growth, and comes as Rishi Sunak grapples with signs of discontent and division within his party’s ranks.

There has been speculation of a split in Mr Sunak’s cabinet on immigration, with some – including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt – more keen than others to stress the benefits of migration for economic growth.

It comes ahead of official figures released later in May that are expected to show net migration of between 650,000 and 997,000.

The prime minister’s official spokesman insisted Ms Braverman’s comments on cutting net migration were in line with the government’s approach.

Sir Keir Starmer earlier urged Ms Braverman to cancel her planned speech on immigration and “get back to the office”.

The Labour leader told LBC radio: “Suella Braverman, the home secretary, is today making a speech about what she thinks ought to happen on immigration. She is the home secretary.”

Earlier, Jacob Rees-Mogg attacked a government decision to scale back postBrexit plans to scrap EU laws as “pathetically under-ambitious”.

The former cabinet minister criticised Mr Sunak for breaking his pledge to complete a “bonfire” of remaining EU-era laws by the end of the year.

Mr Rees-Mogg, whose speech was interrupted by a protester warning of “fascism”, said the government’s “U-turn” over scrapping EU laws was a “defeat of ambition, prosperity and democracy”.

But while the government “needs to be more ambitious”, it was essential to support it because “the alternative is far worse”, he said.

The Boris Johnson loyalist also appeared to describe introducing voter ID as “gerrymandering”. As a minister he defended the introduction of voter IDs in Parliament.

The conference comes after a difficult set of local elections that saw the Conservatives lose nearly 1,000 councillors.

INTERRUPTION: A protester is removed during Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s speech at the National Conservatism Conference in London.