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Calls for everyone in England to speak English

Speak English - Level 4

A UK government official wants everybody in England to speak English. She is an expert on community interaction. She thinks a "common language" would heal divisions in England. She criticized governments for not focusing on integration as England becomes more multicultural. Politicians have not kept up with the "unprecedented pace and scale of immigration" for decades. Communities are becoming divided because of poor English skills.

The government said 770,000 people in England speak no English or hardly any. Up to 70 per cent of those were women, mostly from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. They are at risk from discrimination. The official said: "Everybody of working age and of school age should be able to speak one language." Opponents say England should be proud to be a multi-lingual country and not force people to learn English if they don't want to.

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Speak English - Level 5

A UK government official wants a target date for everybody in England to speak English. Dame Louise Casey is an expert on community interaction. She said a "common language" would help to heal divisions in Britain. She has criticized many governments for failing to focus on integration as England becomes more multicultural. She said politicians have failed to keep up with the "unprecedented pace and scale of immigration" for decades. Many communities are becoming divided. A lack of ability in English is a factor in creating division.

The UK's Communities Secretary revealed that 770,000 people in England speak no English or hardly any. He said up to 70 per cent of those were women, mostly from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. He said these women were at risk from inequality and discrimination. Ms Casey said: "Everybody of working age and of school age should be able to speak one language, and I think the public in particular would feel some relief." Ms Casey's opponents say England should be proud to be a multi-lingual country. It should not force people to learn English if they don't want to.

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Speak English - Level 6

A top British official has said the UK government should set a target date for everybody in England to speak English. Dame Louise Casey is an expert on social welfare and community interaction. She said a "common language" would help to "heal rifts across Britain". Ms Casey has been a long-time critic of successive governments, who she deems have failed to focus on integration in an ever-increasingly multicultural Britain. She said politicians had continually failed to keep up with the "unprecedented pace and scale of immigration" over the past decade. She said that many communities were becoming increasingly divided, and a lack of ability in English was a key factor in creating division.

The UK's Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, revealed that 770,000 people who live in England either speak no English whatsoever or hardly any. He warned that up to 70 per cent of those whose English skills were lacking were women, mostly from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. He said these women were at great risk from inequality and discrimination. Ms Casey said: "Everybody of working age and of school age should be able to speak one language, and I think the public in particular would feel some relief." Opponents of Ms Casey's views say England should be proud to be a multi-lingual country and not force people to learn English if they have no desire to.

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