Migration minister Mike Tapp failed a UK citizenship test question before insisting he is a "proud Brit." Speaking at a parliamentary committee on settlement, citizenship, and integration on Tuesday, 10 March, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal admitted he did not know the height of the London Eye - one of the questions in the official UK citizenship test. "I am confident that I would be able to pass the test, I'm a proud Brit," he added, but promised to "take a keen interest" in knowing the answer "when it comes up again" in the same meeting next year. Chair of the committee, Lord Don Foster, said he will "follow up" on Mr Tapp's word.

Migration minister Mike Tapp failed a UK citizenship test question before insisting he is a “proud Brit.” Speaking at a parliamentary committee on settlement, citizenship, and integration on Tuesday, 10 March, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal admitted he did not know the height of the London Eye - one of the questions in the official UK citizenship test. “I am confident that I would be able to pass the test, I’m a proud Brit,” he added, but promised to “take a keen interest” in knowing the answer “when it comes up again” in the same meeting next year. Chair of the committee, Lord Don Foster, said he will “follow up” on Mr Tapp’s word.

  • Kairos@lemmy.todayEnglish
    811·
    7 days ago

    Oh yeah the only qualification for being a Britt is memorizing arbitrary information. That makes sense.

  • blackn1ght@feddit.ukEnglish
    42·
    7 days ago

    My friend was revising for his UK citizenship test back in 2012. I had a couple of goes on a mock test and I failed it both times. The questions were absurd and I’d bet most people wouldn’t know about and were of no relevance to British culture.

    • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
      4·
      6 days ago

      Oh I know they’re all about who won what battle in 1791. I had one question that asked when Scotland and England became one nation, I mean I know roughly when it was (I know which century it occurred in) but I couldn’t give you the exact date.

      • FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
        12·
        6 days ago

        I’d rank that information as more significant trivia than the height of the fucking London Eye.

        It was 1707 wasn’t it?

        • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
          7·
          6 days ago

          It’s just that I don’t think that knowing a bunch of historical facts that most people never retain, if they’re taught them at all, is really what’s necessary for someone to integrate into British culture.

          Think of any nation and you can immediately name national traits, Peru has a very different cultural backdrop than Germany for example. Knowledge of that is what the citizenship test should be checking for. Not whether or not I can remember a bunch of dates from the attached guide otherwise it’s much more about sending the accompanying book as it is about actually helping people integrate

          • FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
            4·
            6 days ago

            Yeah. I kind of get it though, and some historical facts do have a material impact on your understanding of that cultural backdrop, while also being much easier to test for. (And I think it is reasonable to have some kind of check on integration, even if imperfect, for naturalisation)

            In this example, if you know that the Acts of Union were 1542 for Wales, 1707 (huzzah) for Scotland and 1800 for Ireland, that tells you something about the relative strengths of the bonds between the different countries in the union. It gives you historical context for why Scottish Independence is a stronger movement than Welsh Independence, and helps you navigate interactions with people from the different countries.

            So a test that asks questions of that character can be objective, concise, and still encourages prospective citizens to learn things which are useful from the point of view of integration. In these topics people often bring up queuing culture (but I’ve never invited someone to go in front of me at a checkout that I remember), tea culture (but loads of people don’t drink tea, disagree on milk/tea order, etc), sports (I don’t follow any) that all have significant problems.

  • ambitiousslab@feddit.ukEnglish
    37·
    7 days ago

    My partner, dad’s partner, and so many colleagues at my job, wasted so many weeks cramming for this stupid, irrelevant test. If you add up all the people who have to take this, how many person hours have we wasted as a society, all to be forgotten anyway, because it’s useless information.

    We really need to get rid of this test, or at a minimum strip it down and make it about how to vote and access public services. But even then, if someone wants to learn that, they will of their own accord and in their own time anyway.

    • LordDaveTheKind@piefed.socialEnglish
      211·
      7 days ago

      I’ve passed the test in 2021. To be fair, there are some interesting and relevant topics, such as anything concerning the government structure: elections, judiciary system, Parliament, … Other questions such as the number of volunteers in the National Trust or the London Eye height are completely pointless.

    • fakeman_pretendname@feddit.ukEnglish
      20·
      7 days ago

      20/24 (83%), native Briton.

      Some of those questions are stupid though, on terms of day to day knowledge on Britain.

      If it was actually going to be useful, it would include things about:

      • Letting someone go in front of you in the shop queue if they’ve only got a few things and you’ve got a basket full.
      • Which football teams are “scum” according to supporters of other football teams
      • Which one of PJ & Duncan is PJ and which one is Duncan? (Also known as Ant and Dec)
      • How to apologise for things, even even they’re not your fault
      • Why Piers Morgan is a twat
      • What things you can have a “cheeky” one of i.e. pints, Greggses, sausage rolls, Nandoses, and girls (if you’re MP Lembit Opik).
      • Tomtits@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        9·
        7 days ago

        How long do you wait before beeping the horn if you’re behind a car at the traffic lights and they turn green is another potential one

        • GiveOver@feddit.ukEnglish
          5·
          7 days ago

          I beeped a guy when on holiday in USA once, after a truck didn’t set off for a few seconds. The guy stuck a middle finger out of his window and floored it with a great wheel spin.

          Not sure if I broke the rule by beeping too early, or the American rule is that you always flip off the guy behind you.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
          2·
          6 days ago

          If it’s a mini you might as well be ready to lean on the horn as soon as the other direction turns amber. They never seem to be paying attention

    • Thordros [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      81·
      7 days ago

      83%. I’ve never set foot in the country in my life.

      Also, the height of the that wheel is irrelevant, since it hasn’t been the tallest in the world in decades! point-and-laugh-1point-and-laugh-2

      • mannycalavera@feddit.ukEnglish
        4·
        7 days ago

        my knowledge of NI politics sadly lacking

        Nao nao nao! March march march!

        Something like that probably. 😉

    • bumblefumble@mander.xyzEnglish
      4·
      7 days ago

      I got 21 and I’m from Denmark. Most of them were not too hard. Some, like British History were a bit harder, but not impossible. The amount of NI parliament members though, that one was a complete shot in the dark.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
          2·
          6 days ago

          Because I don’t think anyone in the Northern Ireland assembly could answer that question. I couldn’t tell you how many constituencies there are in England, only that there’s a lot. Some things aren’t worth knowing.

    • ExistentialNightmare@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      Yeah I got 71% too, which is a fail so I guess I am no longer British. Born and raised here btw! What a stupid, racist test, plenty of the questions aren’t even objectively factual but subjective or flatout lies spread by the government too.

      edit: did a second test and still failed with 67%

    • ModCen@feddit.ukEnglish
      2·
      6 days ago

      I’m British born and bred and I got 88%. Some of those questions are interesting and definitely better questions than asking the height of the London Eye.

      Maybe the UK citizenship test should try to select people who support important British principles (rule of law, democracy, religious freedom, legal equality of men and women, etc). But I suppose somebody could pretend to support those things for the purposes of passing a test, and after the test they might decide they don’t believe in democracy after all. Also I’m sure there are born and bred Brits who don’t believe in democracy.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
        11·
        6 days ago

        When it comes to plastic patriots it’s the british-born nationals that are more likely to be the problem, the ones that want to immigrate tend to be okay.

        Besides I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to be a bigger prick than Tommy 10 names.

    • Espitemophiliac@piefed.caEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      83% as a Canadian. Such a weird mix of questions. Maybe 4-5 that actually dealt with civics and governance.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      11·
      7 days ago

      I’ve spent a total of two weeks in the UK (not counting layovers) and I got 88%

      I don’t say this to brag, just to illustrate that the test MIGHT not be quite fit for purpose 😄

      I’m still going to have to take over your citizenship, though, them’s the rules 🤷🏻

      • tetris11@feddit.ukEnglish
        4·
        6 days ago

        I’ll handover my citizenship if you can pass British Isles test:

        1. Brown condiment that goes on toast
        2. Popular Irish Beverage
        3. Welsh actor that lives in the US
        4. Scottish comedian with thoughts about the Queen’s Vagina
        5. Ambiguously Gay Duo
        6. Mixes well with milk but only in the UK
        • klu9@piefed.socialEnglish
          3·
          6 days ago
          spoiler
          1. HP Sauce (Marmite is a brown condiment that goes in the bin . Why, yes, Marmite is a bit “Marmite”.)
          2. Vodka & Red Bull. At least that was what was being served at every house party last time I was in Dublin.
          3. Catherine Zeta-Jones
          4. His Majesty the Francis of Boyle
          5. Thems two wor were on Byker Grove, like, mahn
          6. Chocolate Hobnobs
        • 🌞 Alexander Daychilde 🌞@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          6 days ago
          spoiler
          1. Marmite!
          2. This has to be Guiness
          3. I had to look Rhys up but I don’t know his work. I went with Michael Sheen, who I do adore. Dang it.
          4. This has to be Frankie Boyle.
          5. …Michael Sheen and David Tennant? Please be what you were going for, I’m straight, but I love those two together!
          6. Tea! … Ribena? (I know it’s not Ribena). I think Nestle makes a banana powder for milk? We have chocolate and strawberry in the US

          I probably failed. :( but it was fun. I’m a huge panelshow fan, so anything I got might be blamed on that :)

          Forgive me if my reply is annoying, as a USian, I like hanging out in spaces like this, but I try to be respectful. But I had to reply to this one :)

        • ModCen@feddit.ukEnglish
          2·
          6 days ago

          Brit here:

          spoiler
          1. Marmite
          2. Guinness
          3. Michael Sheen? First Welsh actor that comes to mind. I think Christian Bale was born in Wales but considers himself to be English.
          4. Frankie Boyle if I remember correctly
          5. Ant and Dec? I think they’re both married to women, I don’t know
          6. Tea
        • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          2·
          6 days ago
          1. Marmite
          2. Guinness or whisky
          3. Matthew Rhys?
          4. Frankie Boyle, probably
          5. Ant and Dec? 🤷🏻
          6. Gin? 😛 Because people like milk in their tea elsewhere too
        • jdr@lemmy.mlEnglish
          5·
          6 days ago

          It’s about eye-level.

          Anyway the test is multiple choice, so maybe if you know it’s about 100m that’s good enough?

          The test is ridiculous, it asked a load of history that I wouldn’t expect normal people to know, Brits or otherwise.

  • Simon_M@feddit.ukEnglish
    4·
    6 days ago

    Migration Minister, sounds like he works for the RSPB. Call a spade a spade, Immigration Minister?

  • Schmookey@feddit.ukEnglish
    61·
    7 days ago

    I had a friend go through this a while back, I swear the arbitrary information they were being asked to remember lol I got 83% in the one posted here, Wouldn’t know about NI ministers and one questions I didn’t realise needed two answers…Yes I wasn’t giving it my 100% attention lol

  • Korhaka@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    62·
    7 days ago

    Probably silly to have claimed to be able to pass the test if he didn’t practice for it, but otherwise really so what? Citizenship tests are more about proving someone wants to put real effort in rather than some trivial facts you could memorise in 30 seconds.

  • arsCynic@piefed.socialEnglish
    33·
    7 days ago

    Mirror: https://imgur.com/gallery/migration-minister-fails-uk-citizenship-test-question-GJgiKa0, because The Independent is an absolute dogshit ads/analytics infested website.

    The dogshit:

    Screenshot of The Independent ads/analytics dogshit; using uBlock Origin.

    I had to use Tor Browser to load the video because my hosts file blocks all ad/analytics domains using hBlock. Then used OBS Studio to record the video. Then took two screenshots of the uBlock Origin interface and stitched it together with Photopea. All because of human ingenuity stupidity. Goddamn.