This week's readers' letter: "Disgusting thoughts"

As an “ordinary working man,” and one from whose doorstep Nick Fletcher scarpered when I confronted him in 2017, I would like to inform him that his attempt to portray the working class as immigrant hating reactionaries is utter nonsense.

The Tories think workers are thick. Promise us jobs and we grin, mention immigrants and we growl.

In our communities there are immigrants. They are part of our communities. If you try and separate the two isn’t that breaking apart the social cohesion that Fletcher says he wants?

Immigrants come here to work and contribute to our society. Take a walk round DRI and you will see it for yourself.

Fletcher says that “wanting to reduce migration is a perfectly reasonable view to have and one we should not conflate with racism”.

But he also says “communities will not be treated as dumping grounds for anyone and everyone who wishes to come to the United Kingdom”.

The phrase “dumping grounds” makes it clear that he thinks immigrants are human rubbish. I do not want anyone with such views to be influencing any conversation about history and culture. It is the prejudice of a narrow mind.

Although I am against Tory ideas of making immigrants pass an entry test, there is one Tory test that seems appropriate.

If immigrant applicants for the UK are more honest than Boris Johnson; better organisers than Matt Hancock; more humane than Priti Patel; more intellectual than Gavin Williamson; and less unpleasant than Nick Fletcher let them in.

John Westmoreland

Hatfield Woodhouse, Doncaster