UK migrants to face 'patriotic' citizenship test

Source: The Guardian

Migrants applying for a British passport will soon have to be able to recite the first verse of God Save the Queen, under an overhaul of the UK citizenship test this autumn.

They could also be tested on their knowledge of Winston Churchill, Lord Byron, Florence Nightingale and William Shakespeare, as well as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, before they can qualify to become a British citizen.

The stronger emphasis on traditional British history is part of a move by the home secretary, Theresa May, to a more "patriotic guide" for migrants who want to settle in the UK before they can qualify for a passport.

May also wants to drop sections of the official Life in the UK: A Journey to Citizenship handbook, which explains things such as the Human Rights Act and how to claim welfare benefits and give details of managing everyday life such as reading the gas meter, getting home contents insurance or dealing with the local council.

Instead, Conservative ministers want to tell new migrants that Britain is "historically" a Christian country with a "long and illustrious history". The Sunday Times reports that a draft of the handbook includes profiles of historical characters including the Queen, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Alexander Fleming, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Emmeline Pankhurst, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and poets such as Robert Browning and Lord Byron.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/01/uk-migrants-patriotic-citizenship-test