Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali has called on the government to declare a national emergency on racist violence and intimidation, and hit back at Suella Braverman's remarks about Englishness.
Speaking at the party conference in Brighton, Mr Ali, an elected member of Leeds City Council, said: "And a message to Suella Braverman - I’m Brown, I’m Muslim, but I’m as English as a Yorkshire cup of tea."
Call for national emergency
Mr Ali said the Prime Minister must declare the racist violence and intimidation across Britain as a national emergency. He said: "At a time when Britain is facing unprecedented levels of racist violence and intimidation, the country needs leadership. So I’m calling on Andy Burnham to recognise this as a national emergency. Because this is not just a policing problem."
He added: "It’s a test of whether a diverse democracy can protect the equal right of everybody to belong."
Braverman's comments criticised
Mrs Braverman has been heavily criticised after declaring last month: "As I’ve said before, I’m not English. I’m proud to be British... Englishness is an ethnicity."
Pressed on BBC Question Time to explain last week, Mrs Braverman said: "I think it becomes pretty obvious when people have got a lineage, an ancestry, a connection, to the heritage of this country, which dates back a few generations. I think that’s not unreasonable to expect of people who come to this country."
Online hate and public ownership
In a separate speech, fellow Green deputy leader Rachel Millward - who is leader of Green-led Wealden District Council - accused the Home Office of housing asylum seekers on an unsuitable military base in her area.
She told the conference that it had been devastating to see deep divisions open up. She said: "But this did not come from Crowborough. This is an organised, global far right movement, spreading hateful narratives online for money. And it swung through that small town like a wrecking ball. A sudden and constant flow of online abuse, threats, doxxing of anyone who dared to speak compassion."
In a wide-ranging speech, Ms Millward called for Thames Water and South East Water to be brought into public ownership immediately - with no compensation for shareholders and creditors.
Mr Ali also unveiled a plan he said would provide a guaranteed job for every 18-24 year old lasting up to two years. Under the proposal, the government would pay half of the wages for the 24-month placements for non-public sector positions. Areas with high numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) would be included in the first stage.
