Britain must "work at" becoming a more integrated society, Ed Miliband said yesterday, as he outlined plans for a "comprehensive strategy" to deal with the pressures of a multi-ethnic society.
The Labour leader admitted his party had failed to control immigration or deal with racial and ethnic segregation in Britain's cities during its last spell in government.
He vowed not to sweep "deep anxieties" about the impact of immigration under the carpet and signalled that he was prepared to "look at" the impact of a Government cap on immigration from outside the EU – a policy he has heavily criticised. But he hailed the London Olympics as a symbol of the successes of the UK as a diverse community and set out measures on language, housing and the workplace to help strengthen it further.
In a speech in Tooting, south London, Mr Miliband received loud applause when he insisted the multi-ethnic Britain shown in this week's census and in the summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games was a cause for celebration.
Drawing on his own parents' experience as Jewish refugees from the Holocaust, Mr Miliband said: "We should celebrate multi-ethnic, diverse Britain.
"We are stronger for it – and I love Britain for it."
