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The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
No apology needed for Robert Jenrick
I heard Dr Krish Kandiah's Thought for the Day on Radio 4 and agree with Alf Dubs and Tina Beattie – he was absolutely spot-on with his forthright comments on Robert Jenrick's appalling article (BBC apologises over Thought for the Day 'xenophobia' claim against Jenrick, 13 August). Jenrick was unquestionably xenophobic and, in my and many others' view, racist in his disgraceful terminology. I have volunteered with asylum seekers and refugees for some years and met and taught hundreds. The overwhelming majority are good, decent people, often highly skilled professionals and the sort of technical workers this country is crying out for. If Jenrick knows next to nothing about them, it's because he hasn't bothered to find out before voicing his ill-informed opinions. The BBC should not have apologised. The world needs people like Dr Kandiah, Lord Dubs and Marian Budde, the brave bishop who preached so eloquently at Donald Trump's inauguration service, to speak truth to power and call xenophobia and racism exactly that when they hear JohnsDerby I don't understand the BBC's reaction to the Thought for the Day that mentioned Robert Jenrick. The head of the Sanctuary Foundation, Krish Kandiah, quoted the shadow justice secretary as having said: 'I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally, and about whom we know next to nothing.' Kandiah went on: 'These words echo a fear many have absorbed – fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia. All phobias are, by definition, irrational. Nevertheless, they have a huge impact.' All true and topical, if trenchant. So why is it objectionable? If Jenrick doesn't want to be associated with the echoing of xenophobic fears, maybe he should stop echoing xenophobic de BrunnerBurn Bridge, North Yorkshire It seems that nowadays you can't call a xenophobe a xenophobe. It's political incorrectness gone JuliansRomford, London Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
BBC apologises over Thought for the Day ‘xenophobia' claim against Jenrick
The BBC has apologised and retrospectively edited a segment of Radio 4's Thought for the Day after the head of a refugee foundation described comments by Robert Jenrick about asylum seekers as 'xenophobia'. The remarks by Krish Kandiah, a theologian who heads the Sanctuary Foundation, prompted an angry response from Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary. The BBC said it had removed 'some of the language used' by Kandiah from a version posted online, saying it was not appropriate for the faith-based radio segment. However, Alf Dubs, the Labour peer who came to the UK as a child refugee, said he believed xenophobia was an accurate description of Jenrick's comments in the Mail on Sunday last weekend in which Jenrick said the arrival of asylum seekers on small boats made him fear for his daughters' safety and that he would not want them as neighbours. Speaking on Wednesday's episode of the Today programme, Kandiah quoted from the Mail on Sunday. '[Jenrick] said: 'I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally, and about whom we know next to nothing.' These words echo a fear many have absorbed. Fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia.' He said such fears were irrational and that most arrivals on small boats were fleeing 'war, persecution and famine'. Kandiah argued there was no evidence that migrants posed a greater danger to children than others, noting that most offences against children were committed by people they already knew. While the segment was cleared in advance, it is understood that BBC staff decided to review the programme and edit the language without being prompted by an external complaint. The corporation then apologised to Jenrick. In his Mail on Sunday article, Jenrick listed a series of crimes, including sexual offences, in which the suspects were migrants, saying: 'It's no wonder fair-minded people are furious.' He wrote: 'When I see these stories, I can't help but think that it could have been one of my three young daughters. I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with immigrant men with backward views who broke into Britain illegally, and about whom we know next to nothing. And I don't want anyone else's family to have this forced on them either.' He added: 'My eldest daughter is 14 and already I worry about her safety as she starts to do things independently. It's challenging enough without this to contend with.' Shortly after Thought for the Day was broadcast, Jenrick posted on X: 'On BBC Radio 4 this morning listeners were told that if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist. Wrong. You're a good parent.' Kandiah is understood not to have been banned by the BBC from returning on the show. It is believed that his intention was to make inclusive points about community cohesion and welcoming the stranger and that he is distressed about the row. A BBC statement said of the item: 'While its reflection on fear in society from a faith perspective is broadly in line with expectations of Thought for the Day, some of the language it used went beyond that and we apologise for its inclusion.' Items for Thought For The Day are approved by two BBC staff, the producer working on the item and someone else more senior, although the latter group can be very busy, with decisions potentially delegated. Contributors accept that they should avoid party political points. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Tina Beattie, a Catholic theologian and fellow Thought for the Day contributor, said she agreed with Kandiah's comments 'but perhaps it would have been wise to avoid referring to a particular politician. Sometimes, one can trust people to make the connections without naming names.' She added: 'Thought for the Day presenters have to tread a narrow tightrope. As the only slot on the Today programme with no right of reply, it's vital to maintain balance and to avoid partisan politics, while trying not to be banal or platitudinous. 'It takes many hours to produce the short script, working with producers who in my experience are highly professional and understand the boundaries and restrictions around what can and can't be said.' Lord Dubs, who came to the UK from Prague, said: 'I think anything that encourages hostility and is undermining mutual respect, undermining compassion, is xenophobic in its intent and xenophobic in its consequences. And that's not the sort of thing we would expect a senior politician in the Tory party to be talking about. 'I think it's a shabby comment and it's very dangerous, because what it does do is to lessen the likelihood of local communities being supportive of refugees.' The row comes amid rising tensions over asylum accommodation, with protests held outside hotels housing migrants and refugees. There were demonstrations in Epping, Essex, after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with a sexual offence against a schoolgirl. Additional reporting by Harriet Sherwood
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Labour figures urge recognition of Palestinian state at UN conference
Ministers are under pressure from inside and outside Labour to recognise Palestinian statehood at a UN conference next month, with party grandees arguing it would bolster prospects for peace and demonstrate moral leadership amid escalating tensions. Alf Dubs, the veteran Labour peer and Holocaust survivor, said the symbolic recognition of a Palestinian state would offer Palestinians 'the self-respect they'd have if they had a proper state,' and provide them a stronger footing in any future peace negotiations. 'Even if it doesn't lead to anything immediately, it would still give Palestinians a better standing,' Lord Dubs said. 'Symbols matter.' The former cabinet minister Peter Hain echoed the call, warning that 'delaying recognition until negotiations are concluded simply allows Israel's illegal occupation to become permanent'. Lord Hain argued that formal recognition should be 'a catalyst, not a consequence' of peace talks. At the first preparatory meeting in New York before a UN conference on a two state solution due to be held between 17 and 20 June, Saudi Arabia urged countries to recognise Palestine as a state, saying that 'recognition should be seen as a precondition for peace, and not its product'. The conference is seen as a potential moment when states such as France and the UK that have yet to recognise Palestine take what would be a momentous diplomatic step. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, indicated last month that Paris may recognise Palestine, joining 147 other countries, but said he wanted to do so at a UN conference in New York in June as part of a wider process. The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, has confirmed to parliament he has been in discussions with the French about recognition, but also said he would not simply support a gesture with no practical impact. The Guardian reported last week that the British view is that France was very likely to decide the time was not right to make the announcement. The UK's official position is that it will recognise a Palestinian state, but only at the point of maximum impact. The pressure has been building within Labour's parliamentary ranks as 69 MPs and six peers earlier this month signed a joint letter urging the prime minister to seize what they described as a 'unique window of opportunity' to recognise Palestinian statehood. The Guardian understands that the letter – which was coordinated by the chairs of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, Sarah Owen and Andrew Pakes – was also signed by several serving ministers. In a concept note for June's UN conference, France and Saudi Arabia, the two co-chairs of the conference say the ambitious aim of the international conference in June 'would not be to 'revive' or to 'relaunch' another endless process, but to implement, once and for all, the two-state solution'. The call to implement the two-state solution has become even more urgent in the context of illegal settlements and other illegal unilateral measures, violence, hate speech and the ongoing plans and actions undertaken for the forcible displacement and dispossession of Palestinians. With eight working parties covering all the issues surrounding a two-state solution, each nation has been asked 'to highlight the actions they are willing to undertake, individually or collectively, in fulfilment of their obligations and in support of the international consensus on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the two-state solution'. Alex Ballinger, a Labour backbencher and member of the foreign affairs select committee, said it was time for the UK to 'show principled leadership,' adding: 'We can no longer speak in platitudes about two states while blocking the very steps that could help make one of them real.' Afzal Khan, a former shadow minister and longtime campaigner on Palestinian rights, said Labour must act on its internationalist values. 'Recognition would now be a positive first step towards securing a peaceful two-state solution, end unlawful settlement expansions and blockades, and unlock the diplomatic and humanitarian pathways to lasting justice,' he said, warning that the UK risks 'dragging its feet' while 147 other countries have already recognised a Palestinian state.
