Dr Anna Tuckett’s written evidence to The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee inquiry into Settlement, Citizenship and Integration was cited in the 1st Committee Report.
Dr Anna Tuckett, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at Brunel University of London, submitted evidence responding to the question, “What should be the purpose of the Life in the UK Test? What is the rationale for the Government’s “refresh” of the Test? Are there other ways of assessing a person’s commitment to life in the UK, including an acceptance of UK’s values?”
The executive summary of her response was:
1. The Life in the UK Handbook, upon which the test is based, includes a large amount of information which is largely irrelevant to modern day life in the UK.
2. The Handbook promotes a narrow and limited understanding of Britain and British identity which risks weakening community cohesion and a sense of shared values.
The first report from this inquiry cited Dr Tuckett’s suggestions for a greater focus on British values (as opposed to information irrelevant to life in the UK) and for replacing the LIUK test with a course, for which provision could be outsourced to NGOs, schools, colleges or libraries.
Dr Tuckett has also recently produced a related Policy Brief on how the current Life in the UK Test Weakens Community Cohesion.