Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Radio Interview for IRN visiting Ilford (by-election)

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: Ilford
Source: IRN Archive: OUP transcript
Editorial comments: Morning. Exact time and place uncertain.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 505
Themes: Race, immigration, nationality, Famous statements by MT (discussions of)

MT

It is severely to cut the numbers of immigrants coming in, after all we've got many problems on unemployment among … youth unemployment and unemployment particularly among some of the West Indian youth, it doesn't seem much point in adding to those problems. We've got many problems. We must severely cut the numbers coming in. We're not an underpopulated country, we're fairly heavily populated, and therefore we're going to set up a register of dependants. Now in my view that should have been done before. We don't even know the numbers of people who are entitled to come in, let alone the rate at which they should come in and we would of course really operate the 1971 Act, which attempted to ensure that people who came here after 1973 may come with a work permit, but they should not come with the right to permanent settlement.

IRN Journalist

Would it in fact lead not only to a halt in the flow of immigrants, of coloured immigrants, but of, of, from places like Australia or New Zealand or Canada? Would it, would it hit all sorts of people? I mean, is this, I suppose what we're trying to, is it specifically aimed at just coloured people, is that what we're talking about, are we talking about immigrants total?

MT

It's aimed where the great influx is from, from people who are not patrials and who would not before they come have the right of permanent settlement. Now many people from the old Commonwealth are patrials and therefore would be outside immigration control. The really big problem at the moment is influx from the Indian subcontinent and in fact there's no definition of the Indian subcontinent in legislation, which is why it's difficult to define it. That's where the big influx is coming from and, uh, in particular I think, we don't know the numbers still entitled to come from Pakistan and Bangladesh. I think the pre-1971 dependants from India itself are largely already in this country. But if you are to give people in this country a fair deal, we can't go on accepting more and more and more people from overseas.

IRN Journalist

There's been a lot of attention concentrated on your remarks about immigration. Do you really see it as a … as a central issue for, in the next election, as a crucial issue for the way we run this country in the future? Do you think perhaps that it's been built up out of its true proportion?

MT

By whom?

IRN Journalist

Well, I don't know. There are various factions who would, who would attempt to build it up, factions like the National Front.

MT

This started as far as I was concerned by my answering questions on a television programme of the kind you're putting to me now. So if it's been built up, it hasn't been built up by me. When I'm asked questions about immigration, or any other subject, I [end p1] answer them as truly as I can. If other people build them up, so be it. If people want it to be an issue, they will make it an issue, but I reckon that in a democracy they're entitled to put any questions they like to me.