Foreign staff must sit citizenship test – CRE chief

The new head of the Commission for Racial Equality has called for all foreigners working in Britain to sit a citizenship test.

Beverley Bernard, who has taken over as chairwoman of the commission after the resignation in disgrace of Gurbux Singh, said foreign workers needed to show an appreciation of Britishness. "Anybody that comes to live here or a multinational that wants to relocate in Britain needs to take on board and appreciate some of the concepts that are British; an intolerance of racism, an acceptance of diverse community and a respect and tolerance for other cultures."

Her proposal, outlined in an interview with The Independent, would amount to an extension of the controversial tests being put forward by David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, to cover people applying to become British citizens. The Government estimates there are 150,000 migrant workers in Britain, though many believe there are far more.

The Institute of Directors described the idea of testing foreign workers as absurd. "It's completely impossible to implement," a spokesman said. "If employees come from the EU, they don't have to register with anyone, they don't need visas. How would you keep track of hundreds of thousands of people in the UK? Anyone who lives in London knows there isn't a café or bar without a European person working there. For an employee who may only come here for two or three months it just seems absurd."

In her first interview since being appointed to the £89,000 post, Ms Bernard accused large multinational companies, particularly those operating in the City of London, of paying lip service to British values of racial equality.

Ms Bernard, 52, said Britain's race relations, which she called a model for the world, could be threatened by government plans to merge her organisation with the Equal Opportunities Commission, which tackles discrimination against women, and the Disability Rights Commission.