Integration must come first
Immigration has brought Britain huge cultural and economic benefits. From the NHS to high streets, industries would have collapsed without the energy and enterprise of migrant communities.
But let’s be honest: integration has too often failed.
Whole communities exist without learning English, without mixing outside their own enclaves, and without signing up to the values that bind Britain together.
That isn’t diversity – it’s division. And it is storing up resentment.
So here’s the controversial opinion: to claim benefits, you should be able to pass an English test.
Language as a foundation
This isn’t about cruelty or exclusion. It’s about responsibility. If you come here, if you want to be part of Britain’s social safety net, you should at least make the effort to communicate in the language of the country.
English is the gateway to work, education, and participation in civic life. Without it, integration stalls. And when integration fails, the whole idea of immigration as a benefit to Britain comes under attack.
Facing the pushback
Critics always throw Spain back in my face.
“What about the Brits who retire in the Costa del Sol without speaking Spanish?”
And it’s true: they’re no better. But at least they are broadly living within western values, not trying to build parallel systems.
The core issue isn’t skin colour, nationality or faith – it’s values.
Britain works only when people buy into the deal: rights come with responsibilities. If taxpayers are expected to fund benefits, then recipients should show commitment to the country they now call home.
Tough love for cohesion
For too long, politicians have dodged this debate. Immigration without integration breeds suspicion, resentment, and populism. Immigration with integration can be one of Britain’s greatest strengths.
Language is the starting point. It doesn’t solve everything, but without it, nothing else follows. If that means an English test as a condition of accessing benefits, then it’s time we had the courage to say it out loud.
