Wera Speaks Out For Migrants’ Contribution To The UK

24 February 2018

Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, gave a passionate speech at a rally in the centre of Bath on Saturday, 17th February.

The event was one of 60 gatherings taking place across the country as part of One Day Without Us (1DWU), a grassroots campaign that staged its second annual day of action celebrating migrants and migration in the UK. In Bath, a vibrant and diverse city that welcomes people from all over the world, several local groups came together support 1DWU to stage the rally, street stall and photobomb.

“I am one of you,” Wera told her audience. “I came to the UK 28 years ago from Germany. I settled in Liverpool with my British husband. My four children were all born in this country. I have made my life in this country. I work in this country. My family is here. It is my home. Like all the other migrants who have made the UK their home, I have nowhere else to go.”

Wera Hobhouse noted that in the past couple of years, many UK migrants from all over the world have been made to feel unwelcome in their adopted country.

“I am here to campaign for all migrants, including the three million EU citizens living in the UK whose future is now very unclear since the Brexit vote in 2016. They need the guarantee that they can continue to live here. They need to know that they will continue to enjoy the same security that everyone else who lives here has. We need to send a strong message to the government that we, as a society, value and celebrate the vast contribution that migrants make to the UK.”