Thank you for contacting me about the far-right.
I am completely clear that we should not allow those with extreme views to divide our nation. The British spirit and sense of unity, community, inclusivity and compassion will, in my view, always prevail. However, we must never let up in our defence of the values we hold dear.
The Home Office is working closely with law enforcement and other relevant bodies nationally to monitor far-right activity. This cooperation is vital to ensure local enforcement and providers are joined up and have an effective plan in place to tackle incidents.
The Government has taken action to proscribe organisations that recruit, radicalise, promote and encourage terrorism, as well as those that actually commit acts of violence against innocent people. Their simple aim is to undermine our democracy. The effect of proscription is to outlaw a listed organisation and ensure that it is unable to operate in our communities. It is a criminal offence for a person to belong to, support or arrange a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation, or to wear clothing or carry articles in public that arouse reasonable suspicion that they are a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation.
I reject your assertion that Government Ministers have been inflammatory in their language. For example, the Home Secretary was making an important point that there is a significant difference between those people who come to the UK due to genuine persecution and human rights abuses around the world and those people who come gaming the system for economic reasons.
These comments reflect the reality that in 2022, some 45,000 people chose to cross the Channel illegally, with a third coming from Albania, and that number places immense strain on our system. I am encouraged that the Prime Minister identified illegal immigration as one of his five priorities and is also focussed on addressing the asylum backlog which will benefit genuine asylum seekers awaiting an outcome on their application.
In my view, robust criticism and debate are essential parts of our public life but I agree with you that language matters in politics and I would encourage politicians of all political persuasions to be mindful of the language that they use
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker
March 2023