Patrick O’Flynn Patrick O’Flynn

Let’s not politicise Emma Raducanu’s triumph

Getty

It didn’t take long for the open-borders brigade to try and politicise the magnificent feat of British teenager Emma Raducanu in winning the US Open women’s singles.

Rather than just revelling in the general outbreak of joy in the country, or praising the astonishing maturity of Emma’s performance, the usual blue-tick suspects piled onto Twitter within minutes of her victory to argue, or imply, that the fact Emma was born in another country (she moved here from Canada aged two) proved that immigration in all its guises is always a good thing.

Times columnist Sathnam Sanghera stated the case plainly: ‘Half Romanian, half Chinese. Born in Canada, brought up in the UK. Immigration enriches us, and always has done.’

For Actor Adil Ray the teen prodigy’s win was a victory against mysterious and unspecified ‘haters’. He tweeted: ‘Emma Raducanu the immigrant from a Romanian, Chinese, Canadian family grand slams the haters. This is the Britain we love.’

Emma Raducanu’s amazing triumph does not make a case for the Government attempting to stop illegal entry into the UK

Then there was David Schneider, taking a moment’s respite from his Brexit rants to note: ‘Bloody immigrants! Coming over here, making it from qualifying to win the US Open without dropping a set.’

Our old friend Alastair Campbell took things even further, suggesting that Emma’s win ought to lead to the Government abandoning attempts to bolster border controls and using it to attack Home Secretary Priti Patel – herself a daughter of immigrants who has made a career in high-level UK public service.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in