The English language and Christian faith will be restored to the centre of public life, ministers pledged today.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles heralded the end of state-sponsored multiculturalism by vowing to stand up for ‘mainstream’ values by strengthening national identity.
He said the government will celebrate what people in England have in common, rather than what divides them.
And he called for local communities to use events such as the Big Lunch or the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and inter-faith activities to bring together people of different backgrounds.
Mr Pickles said there will be a strategy on community cohesion and integration which calls for people to come together around shared values.
He accused the previous Labour administration, and its equalities minister Harriet Harman, of taking the country down ‘the wrong path’ by encouraging different communities to live separate lives.
Migrants will be required to speak English, the number of official documents translated into other languages will be reduced and councils will be allowed to hold prayers at the start of meetings.
New education standards will bar schools from teaching which ‘undermines fundamental British values’, said today’s document from his Department for Communities and Local Government.
But he also confirmed his commitment to tolerance, insisting that the Government will remain vigilant to hate crimes directed at Muslims and Jews.
‘We are rightly proud of our strong history of successful integration and the benefits that it’s brought,’ said Mr Pickles.
‘Britain is a place where the vast majority of people from all walks of life get on well with each other. Events such as the Royal Wedding and the Big Lunch show that community spirit is thriving.
‘I welcome the contribution of everyone but those who advocate separate lives are wrong. It is time to concentrate on the things that unite the British people.’
Today’s paper said that, despite Britain’s tradition of tolerance, the past decade has seen growing concern over race relations, as incoming migrants in some areas have shown themselves ‘unable or unwilling to integrate’.
Last summer’s unrest in English cities highlighted some of the challenges caused by the swift pace of change, but should not be seen as ‘race riots’.
People of all backgrounds were involved in the violence, but also in the efforts to clear up afterwards.
The paper, entitled Creating the Conditions for Integration, argued that problems have been made worse by top-down government action, which has encouraged communities to resort to the law to settle their disputes and assert their rights.
‘It is only common sense to support integration,’ it said.
‘In the past, integration challenges have been met in part with legal rights and obligations around equalities, discrimination and hate crime.
‘This has not solved the problem and, where it has encouraged a focus on single issues and specific groups, may in some cases have exacerbated it.
‘There are too many people still left outside, or choosing to remain outside, mainstream society.’
And it added: ‘Today, integration requires changes to society, not changes to the law.
‘This means that building a more integrated society is not just a job for government. It requires collective action across a wide range of issues, at national and local levels, by public bodies, private companies, and above all, civic society at large.
‘Our first question must always be, “How can people contribute to building an integrated England?”.’
Mr Pickles made clear that the Government wants local communities to take a lead in finding ways of encouraging people of different backgrounds to find ‘common ground’ with one another.
But he said the state will be ready to step in to ‘promote mainstream British liberal values’ - for example by banning marches which could cause racial tension.