Birmingham Schools

Lord Jackson of Peterborough Excerpts

Monday 9th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman’s chuntering in the background is of no interest or relevance whatsoever.

[Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough) (Con)]

Is not a key issue that might give rise to extremism and the rejection of British values a cultural one: namely, the unwillingness or inability among some communities to speak English? Is not it important, therefore, to give appropriate financial support in those areas where we need to tackle potential exclusion, and even ghettoisation, for the teaching of English at the earliest stage?

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend is, as ever, absolutely right. A key element of the Prime Minister’s 2011 Munich speech was an insistence that we do everything possible to ensure that everyone who grows up in this country can speak English fluently, and that is one of the principal aims of our education programme.