The Government is to step up its efforts to take on "poisonous" far-right groups like the British National Party (BNP), Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly said today.
Ms Kelly accused far-right extremists of promoting violence and division by peddling "myths and misconceptions" about Britain's multi-racial society. And she said that strong leadership was needed to correct "gross falsehoods" spread by extremist groups - particularly during election campaigns such as last year's local authority polls, when the BNP doubled its number of councillors to 52.
Ms Kelly was speaking at the launch of a new report highlighting English language skills as the key to helping immigrants integrate successfully into British society. The interim report by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion floated proposals to require spouses from overseas to pass an English test before joining their husbands or wives in the UK. And it suggested that translation services for migrants should be scaled back to allow a greater focus on English language tuition.
Ms Kelly indicated support for the Commission's argument that translation services should not be allowed to become a "crutch", removing the need for migrants to learn the language of their new home. And she said she would "study carefully" their other recommendations when she is presented with a final report in June this year.
But she told the launch, at Charlton Athletic Football Club in south-east London, that efforts to help newcomers integrate must go hand-in-hand with a struggle against the far-right to "win the hearts and minds" of communities from all racial backgrounds.
There was no room for complacency if Britain was to avoid the emergence of a far-right political figure like Jean-Marie Le Pen in France or Joerg Haider in Austria, she warned. Extremists are targeting both traditional white communities and settled ethnic minority groups who now see new waves of immigrants arriving in the UK, said Ms Kelly.
"These are the communities that far-right extremists are determined to divide through the exploitation of myths and misperceptions," she said. "The far-right is still with us, still poisonous. Their policies are as unacceptable and ugly now as they were in the 1930s when the communities of the East End stood together against Mosley's brownshirts. And they remain a fringe element because the overwhelming majority of British people reject their message of hate. But we all have a duty to remain vigilant. And it is because of this that I am determined to achieve a step change in the Government's work to tackle far right extremists."
Ms Kelly acknowledged that a "new approach" was needed to ensure community cohesion, as multiculturalist policies pursued over past decades had sometimes "emphasised what divides us at the cost of what unites us".
In offering comprehensive translation services to help migrant groups with everything from housing to healthcare to finding work "there is a danger that we have failed to promote independence and inclusion in British society", she said.
She welcomed the Commission's emphasis on celebrating shared British values and heritage. But she said that this must be matched by more effort at a local and national level to counter the "rubbish" peddled by the BNP, particularly at election time. She highlighted claims in last year's campaign that Dagenham and Barking council in east London was offering Africans £50,000 to buy homes and that a library in Tipton, West Midlands, was being turned into a mosque - both of which she said were untrue.
"As far-fetched as these myths can be, it's not always so easy to deal with them," said Ms Kelly. "Yet I can't help thinking that we all - nationally and locally - need to be better at correcting gross falsehoods."
She added: "There is a challenge for local government here. Some councillors and officials aren't aware of what they can and can't say to quash the myths. Local officials need to know that they are perfectly entitled - even in a pre-election period ahead of the upcoming local elections - to challenge lies about asylum seekers and ethnic minorities."
Ms Kelly said that her department was working with the anti-fascist organisation Searchlight on a new magazine for young people, emphasising their shared Britishness, regardless of their background. The magazine will initially be distributed in Croydon, Greenwich, Waltham Forest, Stoke-on-Trent and Hull.
Ms Kelly said: "It is worth remembering that Britain's traditions of tolerance are robust. In recent years we have not had a Le Pen, like France, or a Haider, like Austria. But there is no room for complacency, and we must all ask what more we can do."
Today's report by the Commission on Integration and Social Cohesion - set up last year in the wake of the July 7 bombings - identifies the inability to speak English as the single biggest barrier preventing migrants from integrating successfully in Britain. Commission chairman Darra Singh warned that if immigrants fail to pick up the language soon after their arrival, they many never do so.
And he said the Commission would produce guidance to local authorities to ensure that translation services help newcomers adapt to life in the UK after their arrival, but do not become a substitute for learning to communicate.
The Commission is also seeking views on whether there should be a new entry requirement for spouses to speak English before settling.
Mr Singh said: "Just as mastering reading and writing for school children opens up the rest of the curriculum, mastering English opens up participation in British society and accessing employment. If you can't speak English - whether you are a new migrant or someone who has lived here for years - you are on a path to isolation and separation. Those who can't speak English find other ways of getting by and if English is not learnt quickly then the chance of ever learning the language diminishes rapidly. I want to see what innovative schemes across the country are doing to combat this."
Ms Kelly said her Department would study the Commission's recommendations carefully in June before making a formal response to them.
Sir Jeremy Beecham, vice-chairman of the Local Government Association, said: "As the only body directly elected by local people to represent them, councils have a duty to ensure that everyone in their locality feels respected and lives with a sense of responsibility and belonging. Councils are uniquely placed to bring together the many organisations that contribute to life in our local areas, and it's vital we use our capacity as community leaders to make links with local businesses, partners and the voluntary sector to understand issues which are barriers to cohesive communities, and tackle them head on.
"As employers, councils are committed to making sure their workforce is representative of the local community. Similarly, local authorities across the country are working hard to encourage more people from minority groups to fulfil their potential as community champions and stand for election as a councillor. There is no single best way for a local authority to tackle prejudice and extremism. Much work is already happening across the country and it's clear that solutions must be focused on what's right for local neighbourhoods. If these solutions don't carry weight with local people, they're not going to work."
He added: "Shared language should be at the heart of a common set of values for a community. It is imperative for the continued long-term advancement of community cohesion and improving education that language does not act as a barrier to access to services. What is disappointing is that the Learning and Skills Council has recently decided to drastically reduce its budget to provide English as a second language to overseas learners."
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