Ipswich MP Tom Hunt stands by divisive comments

Ipswich MP Tom Hunt says he does not feel his comments were divisive or suggested xenophobia

Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said he stands by his comments about not wanting British towns to feel like "a foreign country".

During the Conservative Party conference, Mr Hunt said it was "not xenophobic" to "not want to feel like you're living in a foreign country".

A local racial equality group said many residents had reached out about the MP's "divisive" comments.

Mr Hunt said he did not think the statement was divisive or xenophobic.

At the conference meeting, Mr Hunt said: "Being frank, it is not xenophobic when you walk into your town centre to not want to feel like you're living in a foreign country."

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk he said: "You can be pro migration at sustainable, manageable levels.

"But when you walk into your town or city centre, wherever it is, and you can hear tonnes of people not speaking in your own language, behaving in a way that isn't in keeping with how we would like people to behave in our city centres or town centres, I don't think it does necessarily make you a xenophobe."

He said there were "different views in Suffolk and in Ipswich about mass migration" and that people having concerns about net migration, small boat crossings and the use of a hotel in Ipswich for "people who entered our country illegally" did "not necessarily make them xenophobic".

'Divisive'

The trustees of the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) said many Ipswich residents had reached out about the MPs "divisive comments".

"Many Ipswich residents have reached out to ISCRE to express their disappointment at what they say are divisive comments attributed to their Member of Parliament.

"It is safe to say Mr Hunt's views do not reflect the majority views of the constituents he is meant to represent.

"Voluntary and community groups supporting some of Ipswich's most vulnerable and marginalised migrants fleeing persecution are equally concerned about the possible damage to community cohesion, of the MP's comments," the group said.

About 100 people gathered to show solidarity with migrants housed inside a hotel in Ipswich in March

Martin Simmons from Suffolk Refugee Support said he would not respond directly to the MP's comments.

However he said: "Behind that rhetoric there is a different reality and that is people trying to rebuild their lives, who need some support. We can provide what we can and other members of the community do really stand up to welcome people to our communities too."