Integration harder to achieve as 'core' uk culture is lost in some of our cities
January 05, 2006
New Government figures which show that births to foreign mothers have increased by more than 50% in just over a decade make the task of successful integration increasingly difficult says a report from think tank Migrationwatch out today. (
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The figures - from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - show the very high concentration of such births in some of our major cities resulting in some areas where children born with two UK born parents are now in a minority. This means there will increasingly be no ‘core’ culture with which to integrate, says the Migrationwatch report which analysed the ONS statistics.
For example, births to foreign mothers in Greater London now stand at 49% of all births, with some boroughs exceeding 66%, while in Slough the figure is 48%, Luton 44%, Leicester 38% and Birmingham and Oxford 34% (see paper for full list). In total nearly 1 in 5 of the total births in England and Wales are now to foreign born mothers.
This rise has been driven largely by the seven fold increase in net foreign immigration since 1992. In 2004 alone more than a third of a million foreigners came to live in Britain, adding still further to the pressures on communities. Also, so-called ‘chain migration’ through marriage is continuing at a high level in some communities, adding to the risk of ‘ghettoes’ and putting back integration for another generation.
‘The Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) has already warned that “we are sleepwalking our way towards segregation” but has unaccountably failed to acknowledge the connection with immigration,’ said Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch.’A recent paper to the Royal Geographical Society found that some British cities are now in the ‘major league’ of segregation ranking in the top 50 with American cities like New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
‘Some realism is long overdue on the effect of massive levels of immigration on the prospects for integrating our communities,’ he said. ‘It is absurd to imagine that we can integrate one third of a million people a year. Indeed the whole nature of our society is being changed against the frequently expressed will of the British public
‘The inescapable conclusion is that we must achieve a slower rate of foreign immigration and tighter rules to discourage chain migration through marriage if there is to be a reasonable prospect of achieving the degree of integration needed to maintain the social harmony that we all want to see. Recent examples from around the world have shown that failure to achieve integration can have the most unfortunate consequences,’ he said.
