While the current Conservative leader has been doing his best to convince the nation that he is doing his best to get immigration ‘under control’, former Prime Minister John Major has in fact praised immigrants during an interview with BBC Radio 4.
In the interview, with historian Paul Hennessey, Sir Major described his time growing up in Brixton, where he and his family lived amongst immigrants. He described the immigrants as ‘gutsy’ with ‘drive’ showcasing the true Conservative spirit.
‘There was a different social value placed on immigration. I saw immigration at very close quarters in the 1950s,’ he said.
They shared my house. They were my neighbours. I played with them as boys. I didn’t see people who had come here just to benefit from our social system. I saw people with guts and the drive to travel halfway across the world in many cases to better themselves and their families.”
“And I think that is a very Conservative instinct.”
Sir Major’s statement comes amidst growing concerns about the number of immigrants entering the country and apparently claiming benefits. UKIP, a party that has often been described as a slightly softer version of the controversial BNP, have seen a dramatic rise in their following particularly over the last year
Last month Prime Minister David Cameron announced changes to the immigration system which he described as a ‘vital part’ of ‘securing a better future for Britain’, and include a ban on advertising jobs in the UK solely abroad and reducing the amount of time immigrants can receive unemployment benefits from six months to three.
