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Communities Sec: 'Sub-class' risk for immigrants if they can't speak English properly

The Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has warned that immigrants who fail to learn English "like a native" risk becoming part of an unemployable "sub-class."

He told parliamentary magazine The House:

In terms of wanting people, encouraging people, to be part of British society, they can't do that unless they have more than an understanding of English.

If we don't get our resident population with an understanding of English, then they become a sub-class that is virtually unemployable or are stuck in a ghetto. We should not be turning people out of our schools who aren't able to speak English like a native.