Caller Scolds Tony Blair Over Integration Remarks

22 April 2019, 14:02 | Updated: 22 April 2019, 14:05

A caller who scolded Tony Blair for saying migrants have a duty to integrate into society said the former Prime Minister should have been 'more aware of the impact his words'.

Tony Blair has warned that migrants need to do more to integrate into British society to fight off 'far-right bigotry' in a report published by his institute for Global Change.

The former Prime Minister criticised successive governments for "failing to find the right balance between diversity and integration".

But caller Tony told Ian Payne that he was "disappointed" by Mr Blair, saying that as a skilled politician he should have been "more aware of his words".

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Writing in the foreword of the report, Mr Blair said: "Over a significant period of time, including when we were last in government, politics has failed to find the right balance between diversity and integration.

"On the one hand, failures around integration have led to attacks on diversity and are partly responsible for a reaction against migration.

"On the other hand, the word multiculturalism has been misinterpreted as meaning a justified refusal to integrate, when it should never have meant that.

"Particularly now, when there is increasing evidence of far-right bigotry on the rise, it is important to establish the correct social contract around the rights and duties of citizens, including those who migrate to our country."