In an article dated on the 28th of November, the Daily Mail criticises a list of fifteen British MPs for attending “taxpayer-funded language lessons.” 

On the top of the list, we find Polish-born MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham Daniel Kawczynski described in the article as a “conservative backbencher”. The article misses the fact that Kawczynski is the Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poland and has advised numerous British Prime Ministers on Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. 

“Taxpayers have footed the bill for MPs to get tens of thousands of pounds in language lessons – including one Tory who has spent nearly £22,000 learning Polish,” the article says. 

Critics were formulated after the House of Commons disclosed that politicians have received more than £127,000 worth of free classes in French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian and Arabic over the past five years.

As one of the spokesmen contacted by the Daily Mail points out, MPs are entitled to undertake language training in accordance with their Parliamentary duties and annual costs depend on the number of MPs who decide to take up the offer, as well as the training requirements themselves, which are specific to each individual MP.

Even though there have been several MPs criticised for having taken language courses, it is Daniel Kawczynski who makes the front page for learning Polish. Other politicians criticised were Nia Griffith, Labour Member of Parliament for Llanelli and a Shadow Secretary of State for Wales from 2020 to 2021 and Rosena Allin-Khan MP, whose mother was Polish and who represents a significant Polish minority in Tooting.

Although politicians learning other languages were also singled out, such as Labour Tony Lloyd learning Spanish, it seems that those polishing their Polish were hit the hardest. Is the anti-Polonism back in the Daily Mail?

We applaud Daniel Kawczynski, Nia Griffith, Rosena Allin-Khan, and others for learning Polish, which helps build better relations with Poland and the 1-million-strong Polish community in the UK.

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen

Picture: Twitter @DKShrewsbury