David Cameron, the Shadow Education Secretary, said immigrants, old and new, should learn to speak English so that they can participate fully in national life.

The plethora of official forms, pamphlets and leaflets provided by the Government and many local authorities in other languages sent the wrong signal, indicating that it was fine to live here without speaking the language.

He told the Foreign Policy Centre, a Labour think-tank, that “We need to ask whether (it) can almost encourage the belief that learning English is not necessary.”

In a speech starting his leadership campaign after the summer lull, he quoted a Home Office study that showed that only 26 per cent of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis living in Britain are fluent in English. This compares with about 68 per cent living in the US.

All schools should be obliged to teach their lessons in English, and to ensure that shared values and British heritage were well taught, he said.

Although he favours faith schools, saying that parents have a right to choose how their children are educated, he said that all should be brought under the umbrella of the national curriculum.

“British society cannot be a community of communities,” Mr Cameron said. “Our nation is not a blank sheet in which each goes his own way. It is a shared home with values which make it a tolerant and hospitable in the first place.”

Mr Cameron urged the setting up of a commission to investigate the July 7 attacks, a move Tony Blair has so far resisted.

He said: “There are worrying indications that MI5, for example, did not have enough manpower to track one of the July 7 bombers, even though his name was clearly on the intelligence radar.

“In America, after 9/11, the White House established a commission to look into the events of that tragic day. It asked tough questions and led to constructive reforms in intelligence and security. Surely we can benefit from a similar exercise here, which looks forward to the immense security challenges we face.”

He said that the budget of MI5 and MI6 needed to be looked at. “With a joint budget which is only one third of the Department for Trade and Industry there must be considerable doubts,” he said.

Mr Cameron spoke to David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, before making the speech and sent him a draft copy. Many of the policy suggestions he makes are supported by Mr Davis. That has resulted in speculation that Mr Cameron will back Mr Davis if he is knocked out in an early round of the leadership contest, due to start on November 1.

This week Mr Cameron ruled out forming a “dream ticket” with Kenneth Clarke, the former Chancellor, and used his speech yesterday to underline his sharply different views on the Iraq war. Mr Clarke opposed it; Mr Cameron, as a backbencher, voted for it in 2003, but he questioned whether enough had been done to prepare for the aftermath.

“Moving from the position of deterring a foe — Saddam — to an approach of pre-emptive action to remove him was a profound change. That is why a specific endorsement from the UN was so desirable. But when, principally due to French obstruction, that was not possible, a decision had to be made. I thought then that, on balance, it was right to go ahead, and I still do now,” he said. He also called for the setting up of an organisation like the US Peace Corps so that young people could serve Britain.

IN THE RACE

David Davis

Shadow Home Secretary has about 60 backers, including Damian Green and Andrew Mitchell, Shadow International Development Secretary
Odds 1/2

David Cameron

Shadow Education Secretary has about 23 backers including Geroge Osborne, Shadow Chancellor
Odds 11/4

Kenneth Clarke

Former Chancellor may be preparing for one last shot at the leadership. About 22 backers
Odds 8/1

Liam Fox

Shadow Foreign Secretary has about 10 backers including Chris Grayling, Shadow Leader of the Commons
Odds 12/1

Sir Malcolm Rifkind

Former Foreign Secretary has about three backers
Odds 22/1

David Willetts

Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary is more likely to be kingmaker than king. About six backers
Odds 40/1

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