Sophy Ridge had the stats to counter Tom Hunt’s full-UKIP rant on foreign languages
At the Conservative Party Conference, the MP for Ipswich, Tom Hunt, went full Farage on foreign-born residents of the UK.
“Being frank, it is not xenophobic for when you walk into your town centre to not want to feel like you are living in a foreign country.”
If you hear someone speaking their first language when they’re out and about and your first thought is that it feels like a foreign country, you might want to have a little think about what is or isn’t xenophobic.
Sky’s Sophy Ridge asked him about it.
Conservative MP Tom Hunt, "If you walk into your town center, people speaking English is almost a rarity"
Sophy Ridge, "That's not what people find, come on"
Tom Hunt, "Lots of people when they walk into their town centers across the country often feel that way" pic.twitter.com/AddIQ5LbSG
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) October 24, 2023
Tom Hunt: If you walk into your town centre …if you’re hearing, almost, people speaking English is almost is almost a rarity…”
Sophy Ridge: That’s not what people find, is it? Come on!
TH: Well, I think lots of people do find that …
SR: Eighty-eight per cent of people in Ipswich have English as their main language.
It’s almost as though Mr Hunt were confusing anecdote with data and using it to push a culture war. Almost.
Tweeters weren’t buying what he was selling.
1.
I've travelled all over England this year. Not once did have I walked through a place where English wasn't spoken.
Maybe people just pretend they can't when they spot this ghastly idiot… lest he tries to strike up a conversation with them https://t.co/AArt4qAHWn
— Otto English (@Otto_English) October 25, 2023
2.
There are dogs on Mars who heard this whistle https://t.co/GJkNwOZGEy
— Steve Peers (@StevePeers) October 25, 2023
3.
“You said it wasn’t racist to be racist. What do you mean?”
“Well, nowadays if you racist racist racist racist, racist RACIST racist racist racist…” https://t.co/Yl0JqiBPnw— Mitch Benn (@MitchBenn) October 25, 2023
4.
Racism pure and simple. https://t.co/yXeYkHZVlv
— Jessica Simor KC (@JMPSimor) October 24, 2023
5.
According to the 2021 census, 98.2% of the population have English as their sole/main/proficient language.
This is blatant and completely inaccurate dogwhistling. https://t.co/7QpqSEadx5— Nick Pettigrew (@Nick_Pettigrew) October 25, 2023
6.
How many Brits, living in their wee British communities in Spain have bothered to learn Spanish https://t.co/KH9x3B03Oz
— Alex Webster (@AlexWebster47) October 24, 2023
7.
Weird, haven't noticed that, but i *DO* find when i walk past Conservative Clubs, the Carlton and CCHQ i hear people speaking 'bollocks'. Is that a similar thing?
— aidThompsin (@aidThompsin) October 25, 2023
8.
Unlike the vast majority of Tory MPs, immigrants typically speak more than one language. How utterly pathetic is it that he’s so threatened by multilingualism ♂️
— Very Finnish Problems (@VFinnishProbs) October 24, 2023
9.
So, you have all these english speaking people in the town centre talking in English, about people not speaking english. ♂️♂️
— Left Right Centrist Rejoiner (@LeftRig57257476) October 24, 2023
10.
Yup, it’s Farage’s party now. https://t.co/OBQUIEpDJC
— Prof Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) October 24, 2023
11.
Hunt is merely regurgitating the same nonsense that he spewed back in 2020. He was unable to substantiate his claims then and he will be unable to substantiate them now. https://t.co/ltObnnusMD pic.twitter.com/0gNwh9fcmC
— Tony (@bigtoekne) October 24, 2023
12.
which town centres, Tom, which ones https://t.co/zBxk48sC2f
— Toby Earle Threads tobyontv (@TobyonTV) October 24, 2023
13.
These days, if you walk into any Town in the UK…….. https://t.co/JmdluPj0zP
— Alan Molineaux (@almolx) October 24, 2023
14.
"Do you have the data to back that up or is that what you've been told in shops?" A magnificent line from @SophyRidgeSky, like something you'd say to a whining child. https://t.co/KwxZHWglvv
— Andrew Male (@Andr6wMale) October 25, 2023
15.
“If you tie a goat to a post in your back garden and dance around it chanting in Coptic by the pale moonlight, your neighbour’s garage will levitate.”
“That’s not what really happens though, is it?”
“Lots of people often feel it does.” https://t.co/pjWiWPD1lD
— Ben Stanley (@BDStanley) October 25, 2023
Mic Wright had more stats for the MP.
Hey @tomhunt1988, I hope you’re concerned about those Jedis and Heavy Metal believers wandering around in your constituency too, given that 92.4% of people in Ipswich have English as a first language, you dog whistling prick. https://t.co/MAPsK152tb pic.twitter.com/PjdZNPYuIt
— Mic Wright (@brokenbottleboy) October 25, 2023
Best For Britain made a comment that Hunt would do well to consider.
Been thinking about this a lot. Because, as a migrant, what is most striking and often lost is that whatever "community" Hunt victimises here are his constituents, too. He does not try to represent them in any way. He treats them as non-citizens, by virtue of their ethnicity. ~AA https://t.co/WpOBDiCawD
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) October 25, 2023
Although, it’s unlikely to be a problem for him after the general election.
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Source Farrukh Image Screengrab