10:45am UK, Wednesday August 17, 2005

Tory leader Michael Howard has called for a greater effort to promote a sense of "British identity" among immigrant communities.

He said the "complacency" over the UK's record in integrating other communities into British society has been "shattered" by the London bombings.

Tory leader calls for unity

He later added: "We should be British first and British last, while staunchly adhering to our respective faiths."

Britain needed to learn from the United States, which has proved more successful in integrating Muslim communities.

"We had to face the terrible truth of being the first western country to have suffered terrorist attacks perpetrated by 'home-grown' suicide bombers," Mr Howard said.

He said that minority societies in the US had been able to buy into the "American dream" that a boy from a log cabin could make it to the White House.

By contrast no-one talked about the "British dream".

"Perhaps one of the mistakes we have made in recent years is a tendency to place too much emphasis on the need to encourage the retention of attachment to other traditions.

"Rather than cherishing the ties that bind us, we have been focusing on what divides us.

"Surely it is time to reverse this trend; our democracy, rule of law, history, these are the things we need to increase an understanding of."

Mr Howard said that such a sense of allegiance needed to be made "more meaningful", if necessary through the deportation of people who would not accept it.