The Languages of Others: Britain's reliance on foreigners' willingness to learn English is self-defeating

Five years ago Estelle Morris, then the Education Secretary, ended the requirement for all GSCE students to learn at least one foreign language. Last year she acknowledged that this had been a mistake, at least in its timing. It was, in fact, disastrous in every respect.

As unemployment nudges two million and Gordon Brown's ill-judged and inflammatory pledge to create “British jobs for British workers” comes back to haunt him, it is clearer than ever that British workers' inability to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the world's largest single labour market - the EU - stems in large part from longstanding reluctance to make more than a token effort with foreign languages.

February 16, 2009
The Times

Response from Baroness Coussins