Citizenship ceremony branded 'a publicity stunt'

A row broke out today as Britain's first citizenship ceremony took place in London.

As 19 immigrants swore an oath of allegiance to the Queen, Home Secretary David Blunkett faced accusations that the event was a publicity stunt and did nothing to help new arrivals integrate into British society.

The ceremony, in Brent, is the first of what will be the normal way for new citizens to become full members of British society.

Both Prince Charles and Mr Blunkett were welcoming the new citizens, who came from countries including Afghanistan, Poland and Zimbabwe, at the £218-a-head function.

But Mr Blunkett faced a series of criticisms over his decision to hold the ceremony without the rest of a package of measures intended to help immigrants become part of British society.

The ceremonies - to take place nationwide, with the second in Wandsworth next week - were intended to be the final stage in a process that would include English language lessons and a "Britishness test". But they were given the go-ahead while the other measures were still being prepared.

One member of the committee that came up with the package said Mr Blunkett's move "put the cart before the horse", while immigrants' groups said rituals were not what new arrivals needed.

Today's ceremony was planned to see the 19 new citizens swear an oath of a allegiance to the Queen and take a pledge to uphold democracy - while a choir sang God Save The Queen, "positive images" of Brent were projected on the wall and Prince Charles presented certificates of citizenship.

Mr Blunkett hailed the ceremony as extending Britain's "great tradition as a tolerant and welcoming nation".

He said: "I am very pleased to be at the first of many ceremonies that will help to bind together our communities with shared values, which allow people to be proud of both their background and new home.

"They will welcome new citizens into local communities and help them to gain a deeper understanding of British values, alongside their own cultural heritage and the rights and responsibilities of becoming a citizen."

But the ceremonies came under fire from immigrant groups and other political parties as being publicity stunts.

Keith Best, head of the independent Immigration Advisory Service, said he was "surprised" that the ceremonies had come before the rest of the proposals.

He said: "It should be a complete package and this to me looks like an attempt to grab the headlines more than anything else.

"The Government has jumped the gun. People will complete their ceremony, which tells them they are a citizen. But they will not know what their rights are as citizens.

Ceremony, paintings of the Queen, flags and the anthem may satisfy Mr Blunkett's demands - but the old jingoistic allegiance to the Union flag is dying."

Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said: "Going to a ceremony to wave a flag and take an oath to the Queen seems meaningless. Most important is that, in their hearts and minds, new citizens feel that this is their country, they are accepted here and they feel that they have responsibility to the abide to the laws of the land." A member of a committee chaired by Sir Bernard Crick - which had worked out the detail of the ceremonies and other plans to welcome immigrants - said language classes and a publication guiding new arrivals through life in Britain should have been introduced first.

Dina Kiwan, a researcher at the Institute of Education, University of London, said: "The ceremonies are putting the cart before the horse. I hope that the funding issues can be sorted out and Government can get down to work on the systems for helping immigrants get to grips with their new situation and contribute to society."

Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "The ceremony itself can been seen as slightly meaningless, as tests are still a year away. It smacks of another headline-grabbing initiative from Blunkett that won't lead to anything."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "While the ceremony is important, helping people to play a full part in society requires much more."