Blunkett told to calm down

David Blunkett was bluntly warned by one of Britain's leading black figures today that his call for immigrants to adopt a British identity risked making him "enemies" among ethnic communities.

Bill Morris, general secretary of the TGWU, told the Home Secretary to "calm down" and accused him of "declaring war" on his Labour party colleagues.

The row over Mr Blunkett's comments showed no sign of dying down despite support for the minister from both Downing Street and the Conservatives.

He said that immigrants should ensure their children grow up with a British sense of belonging and raised the prospect of compulsory English lessons for new arrivals.

His comments were made at a sensitive time - before tomorrow's publication of a government report into this summer's race riots in Northern towns, which is expected to blame years of separation of white and Asian communities.

Today Mr Morris told Radio Four's Today programme: "I think what we are seeing here is the long-established principle of politicians - a spot of bother, you blame the victim, get your retaliation in first.

"It seems to me that our Home Secretary has managed to declare war on the judges, the police, the House of Lords, and on his own side in the Labour Party.

"Tomorrow three important reports will emerge looking at the disturbances in our Northern cities during the summer months.

"For the moment, I say to our Home Secretary, 'please just calm down, you've got a lot of friends. Don't make any enemies'."

Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar said the Home Secretary could have chosen his words "a bit more carefully". Mr Sarwar said if Mr Blunkett believed that more immigrants should be more fluent in English, then the Government had a responsibilityto provide the resources. He added that he had "some reservations" about Mr Blunkett's ideas, because children born in Britain already feel themselves to be British. "I don't think they need lessons from anybody about their patriotism and Britishness," he said.

There was also criticism from Shahid Malik, a member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, who demanded a meeting with Mr Blunkett so the Home Secretary could "clarify" his comments.

Mr Malik said: "I have no doubt there are many fascists and racists and members of the British National Party who will perversely draw comfort from his comments and view them as some sort of green light."

However, there was support for Mr Blunkett from the Conservatives, whose home affairs spokesman Oliver Letwin said: "In principle, this is absolutely right. We need to have a common sense that we are part of one country and one society."

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