A cabinet minister has repeatedly refused to endorse Suella Braverman’s claim that multiculturalism has “failed”.
Lucy Frazer was asked whether she backed the home secretary’s remarks, which were made to a conservative think-tank in Washington.
In a speech signed off by Downing Street, Braverman said: “Uncontrolled immigration, inadequate integration and a misguided dogma of multiculturalism have proven a toxic combination for Europe over the last few decades.
“Multiculturalism makes no demands of the incomer to integrate. It has failed. Because it has allowed people to come to our society and live parallel lives in it.”
Appearing on GB News this morning, Frazer, who is the culture secretary, was asked by presenter Isabel Webster: “Do you agree that multiculturalism has failed, which was a huge claim being made by the home secretary yesterday.”
The minister replied: “I read the home secretary’s speech and if we put it in context, what she was talking about was the importance of integration of people who come here into our communities and that’s really important.
“As a country we’ve done that tremendously well.”
Webster then interrupted the minister to say: “So you disagree?”
Frazer replied: “We’ve done that really well in relation to people who have come from Ukraine, we’ve done it really well with relation to those who have come from Afghanistan.”
She added: “I think what she was focusing on was when we do take people who’ve been suffering from persecution, it’s really important that we integrate those people into our communities.”
Asked about Braverman’s comments afterwards by Nick Ferrari on LBC, Frazer said: “I do think that where we have people coming into this country, I do think it’s really important that we integrate them.
“I think that’s what she was talking about when she was talking about ... we do have a very multi-cultural society and there are many benefits to that, but we need to make sure that when people come here, we integrate them into our system.”
Ferrari replied: “I will ask for a yes or no. Is multiculturalism a failed dogma?”
The minister said: “I don’t think it’s a yes/no answer in that sense.
“My grandparents and great-grandparents came to this country from other countries because they feared persecution and the UK gave them a home. There are massive advantages to that, I’m very proud that ... we offered them that sanctuary to people who are fleeing for their life.
“But we do need to make sure it’s proportionate, we do need to make sure that communities accept those who come and we do need to make sure that when people come here, they integrate into our communities.”
In another interview this morning on Sky News, Frazer also repeatedly dodged questions on whether the UK will remain signed up to the UN refugee convention, which Braverman said needed urgent reform.