Immigration turning UK into ‘ghetto’ where no-one speaks English – Tory MP

Nick Fletcher was criticised by the SNP after his speech ahead of voting on the Rwanda Bill.

Immigration is turning parts of the UK into a “ghetto” where no-one speaks English, a Conservative MP has said.

Nick Fletcher said Doncaster was full and that immigration needs to be tackled as the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill was read for a second time.

In a speech which drew gasps and shouts of “shocking” from the Labour backbenches, Mr Fletcher said people “don’t expect to be called racist or xenophobic for saying ‘we liked it as it was'”.

He added: “If we’re going to have immigration, which I don’t completely believe is a bad thing to do, it just needs to be controlled immigration.”

It's happening in Doncaster and it's happening in places throughout this country, and we are turning parts of our community into a ghetto

Nick Fletcher MP

The MP for Don Valley and One New Conservative member said he would be backing the Bill, but added some members want the Bill to be stronger.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Fletcher said: “Unfortunately, outside we have left-wing lawyers making six-figure salaries calling me awful and people like myself. We have TV pundits on seven-figure salaries, paid by my constituents through TV licences, again calling me awful.

“Well, I ask these people on these huge salaries, on these seven-figure salaries, I ask them to sell everything that they’ve got, I ask them to give it all away, then I ask them to come and get a job in Doncaster, probably on £25/30,000 a year, I ask them to find themselves a partner and then probably go and buy that dream house.

“Now they buy that dream house, a three-bedroom semi and mid-terraced, they make the garden nice and the kids play in the garden, they’ve got a couple next door who’ve got kids themselves and everything’s rosy.

“Then all of a sudden the neighbour decides to move on, he gets a job or he moves somewhere else and that house turns into an HMO (house of multiple occupation) and then we have nine people, who don’t speak English any more, bed hopping which is what’s happening.”

He added: “It’s happening in Doncaster and it’s happening in places throughout this country, and we are turning parts of our community into a ghetto, and this is what is happening.

“Now, all of a sudden you’re living next door to a HMO and you’ve got comings and goings at two o’clock in the morning, three o’clock in the morning, people outside smoking, the grass doesn’t get cut any more, or the windows don’t get cleaned any more, and unfortunately you feel scared to let your child play out in the garden any more.

“Now, there’s no gated communities here to make people feel safe cause we’re not on seven-figure salaries any more, you’re earning £30,000 now remember, that’s what you’re earning. So the only protection that you’ve got is a lock on the door and a council that might put a public space protection order in, but not enforce it any more.

“Now, this is what’s happening. You can’t sell your house any more, and if you do you have to sell it at a discount.

“Your little child falls over in the street, you have to go to A&E and you get a 12-hour waiting list, and the reason why the waiting list is so long is because people don’t speak English in these places any more.”

In his conclusion, Mr Fletcher said: “I will back this Bill, I will back it today, but we’ve got friends on this side of the House who want this Bill stronger and I’m going to work with them, and I’m hopefully going to work with you, because we must make this work, we have to stop the boats.”

In response to Mr Fletcher’s comments, SNP MP Joanna Cherry said: “I feel like I’ve been sucked back in time to listen to Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech again.

“The member who has just spoken needs to inform his constituents the reason they live in the sort of conditions he describes and the reason they have such low wages is not because of immigration, but because of more than 10 years of Tory government.”