Zoe Williams is on top form in her dissection of the Life in the UK test and its insidious purpose (The test you have to take to stay in the UK is sloppy, moronic and jingoistic, 22 March).
She exposes the mixture of stupidity and cruelty that lies behind this innocent-sounding test, which is in reality yet another component of the “hostile environment” that all foreigners must now face, whether they’re in the UK legally or otherwise. This is a stain on our country that we should all be ashamed of.
My wife – an American – will take the test in the coming year. Even though she’s a native English speaker and has done well on the practice tests, she’s worried about it. There’s no mistaking the xenophobic intent behind it. It’s eerily similar to the notorious “literacy tests” that black people had to take in the southern states of the US in order to vote – a crudely-designed tripwire whose real purpose is to keep people out while reassuring native racists that their concerns are shared by those in power. It is shameful that the Labour party introduced this measure.
Robin Prior
Stroud, Gloucestershire
