Richard Tice said large numbers moving to the UK were "changing the nature of our country".
By Kevin Schofield
HUFFPOST
26/11/2023
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea
DANNY LAWSON - PA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES
The leader of the right-wing Reform UK party has been accused of “harking back to the 1940s” after he said high levels of immigration were “changing the nature of our country”.
Richard Tice clashed with Christine McAnea, general secretary of the Unison trade union, on BBC 1′s ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’.
The row came after official figures showed net migration - the difference between the numbers entering and leaving the UK - hit 672,000 in the year to June.
Tice said that was “changing the nature of our country, making us poorer financially and it’s making us poorer culturally”.
But McAnea said: “When I hear people saying things like ‘it will affect our country culturally’ - and I’ve heard you say it before - I don’t even know what that means because we are a country where people come from all over the world.
″I’m the grandchild of migrants from Ireland and my culture of probably very different from yours. It’s an appalling way to turn things into a culture war in this country.”
Asked what he meant, Tice replied: “That sense of Britishness, who we are, our heritage, our history, our Christian values and ethos. That is the base of our single British culture and that’s what we want people to unify under.
“We welcome sensible levels of immigration, but mass immigration - people living in silos, different cultures, is not good for our country.”
McAnea hit back: “This is like harking back to the 1940s or 1950s.”
But Tice said that was “absolute nonsense”
26/11/2023
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea
DANNY LAWSON - PA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES
The leader of the right-wing Reform UK party has been accused of “harking back to the 1940s” after he said high levels of immigration were “changing the nature of our country”.
Richard Tice clashed with Christine McAnea, general secretary of the Unison trade union, on BBC 1′s ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’.
The row came after official figures showed net migration - the difference between the numbers entering and leaving the UK - hit 672,000 in the year to June.
Tice said that was “changing the nature of our country, making us poorer financially and it’s making us poorer culturally”.
But McAnea said: “When I hear people saying things like ‘it will affect our country culturally’ - and I’ve heard you say it before - I don’t even know what that means because we are a country where people come from all over the world.
″I’m the grandchild of migrants from Ireland and my culture of probably very different from yours. It’s an appalling way to turn things into a culture war in this country.”
Asked what he meant, Tice replied: “That sense of Britishness, who we are, our heritage, our history, our Christian values and ethos. That is the base of our single British culture and that’s what we want people to unify under.
“We welcome sensible levels of immigration, but mass immigration - people living in silos, different cultures, is not good for our country.”
McAnea hit back: “This is like harking back to the 1940s or 1950s.”
But Tice said that was “absolute nonsense”
Richard Tice accused of ‘harking back to the 1940s’ during BBC appearance
During a grim spectacle on the BBC this morning, Richard Tice was pulled-up for saying that immigration has made the UK 'culturally poorer'.
by Tom Head
2023-11-26
Photo: Twitter
The leader of the Reform Party has been accused of using dangerous rhetoric, after he formed part of the panel on the BBC’s flagship political programme on Sunday. Richard Tice’s views on immigration were challenged staunchly by another guest.
Richard Tice upsets guests during contentious BBC appearance
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, Tice argued that mass immigration is making the UK ‘poorer economically and culturally’. The comments immediately rankled Christina McAnea, the General Secretary of Unison.
The pair argued vociferously, as Tice claimed that ‘Christian values and ethos’ form the basis of Britishness. He suggested that the country should aspire to live under one cultural identity, blasting the idea of multiculturalism.
“Immigration is changing the nature of our country. It’s making us poorer financially and culturally. We should live and operate under one British culture. Our heritage, our history, our Christian values – people should live under this identity.” | Richard Tice
Reform leader clashes with Unison leader live on-air
With Nigel Farage currently lapping-up all the delights of the Australian jungle, Mr. Tice said he’d welcome his help in making Reform a serious political choice at the next election. He even punted the idea of ‘President Farage’, seemingly forgetting how things work in the UK.
McAnea was somewhat horrified by the politician’s remarks. The union leader said that the statement ‘did not make sense’, and responded by saying that Tice was ‘harking back to the 1940s’. The exchange was certainly a tense one.
“When I hear people saying things like it’ll affect us culturally, I don’t know what that means. People come from all over the world to live here. I’m the grandchild of Irish immigrants. It’s an appalling thing to say… It’s like harking back to the 1940s.” | Christine McAnea
- You can watch the fiery discussion here:
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