Zack Polanski perfectly highlighted how it is not migration that is to blame for any integration problems in the UK – it’s 14 years of Tory austerity.
On Thursday night, the Green Party leader made his Question Time debut, appearing alongside Labour MP James Murray, Tory MP Nigel Huddleston, Telegraph columnist Annabel Dunham and Reform’s head of policy Zia Yusuf.
The first question the panel were asked related to Robert Jenrick’s leaked comments regarding the Birmingham area of Handsworth.
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In a recording obtained by the Guardian, Jenrick described the neighbourhood as “one of the worst-integrated places” because he didn’t see “another white face” during a visit.
Addressing the comments on Question Time, Polanski said people were right to be angry about Jenrick’s comments, which have been roundly condemned.
But Polanski explained how it is not migration that is to blame for communities feeling unintegrated and splintered, but instead the 14 years of austerity that the Tories presided over.
He said: “I think we should all be angry that we had 14 years of Tory austerity. They shut our libraries, they shut our community centres. And then to say integration is a problem – how do you expect people to integrate if you’ve taken away their services?”
The comments drew applause from the audience, with Polanski saying he would be visiting Handsworth to speak to people there.
He continued: “We need to make sure that all politicians are speaking about migration in positive sense. Now of course there will be people who have problems with migration.
“But their problems are because they can’t get a dentist appointment, because there aren’t enough council homes, because we’ve not invested in our communities.
“None of these problems of a black face. These are the problems of multi-millionaires and billionaires, and the politicians who haven’t taxed them properly.
“We can change that, they’re all political choices.”
You can watch his words below.
Polanski was widely praised for his comments, with one person saying he “didn’t come to play.”
Another said: “Zack Polanski really is a breath of fresh air. Think I believe in politics again. There’s been so much hate recently, we needed this.”