Race relations and racism
He questioned the conclusion of the
Macpherson report (into Stephen Lawrence's death) that the Metropolitan police are "institutionally racist" as "a grotesque over-reaction."
[18]
In 2005, he said about Muslims: "If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy: go to another country, get out. There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to. They would be happy and we would be happy".
[19]
The rise in the Nepalese population led Howarth to request government assistance in expanding local public services to meet the needs of the growing population. Howarth was later criticised for suggesting that Nepalese migrants should be dispersed across the UK.[
citation needed]
After
British Airways in November 2006 indicated that a member of its check-in staff would not be permitted to display a cross over her uniform, Howarth announced his decision to boycott the
flag carrier and claimed that "the idea that somehow it has become unacceptable to demonstrate that (Christian) faith is bizarre...the cross is a modest symbol. It is not an aggressive or provocative gesture... it is a quiet demonstration of faith".
[20]
In August 2014, he warned about the dangers of immigration to Britain as he perceives them in a leaked e-mail to a constituent and declared that
Enoch Powell was right in his anti-immigration
"rivers of blood" speech in April 1968: "Clearly, the arrival of so many people of non-Christian faith has presented a challenge, as so many of us, including the late Enoch Powell, warned decades ago".
[21]
Homophobia
Howarth is known for his antipathy towards gay rights.[
citation needed]
In 2000, he described the lifting of the ban on homosexuals in the military as "appalling" and went on to claim that the "decision will be greeted with dismay, particularly by "ordinary" soldiers in Her Majesty's forces, many of whom joined the services precisely because they wished to turn their backs on some of the values of modern society".
[22]
In 2005 he attacked the
gay Labour Minister
Peter Mandelson because his life-partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, a
Brazilian translator who had been living in the UK for seven years, had received British citizenship. Howarth described Avila da Silva as Mandelson's 'consort', who was less deserving of citizenship than others.
[23]
On 20 May 2013, whilst debating the
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, Howarth warned of "the aggressive homosexual community who see this as but a stepping stone to something even further." Howarth failed to clarify what the something further would be.
[24]
