Keighley MP Ann Cryer saw at first hand this week how newcomers to England are learning the language.

Mrs Cryer, who is facing a national Labour Party inquiry, for demanding English lessons for immigrants, visited a special class for asylum seekers.

Praising the trailblazing course at Keighley College she again stressed English lessons were a passport to a useful life for people coming to the UK.

"It's the same message as I had for the Asian men and women -- we have to help them integrate.

"Some of the people here have the very skills we're short of -- the only thing stopping them is their English. They want to be earning money to give them self-esteem."

Earlier this week, Mrs Cryer had two hours of heated talks with Bradford Council's Labour group over comments she made about immigrants coming to Britain.

Mrs Cryer was asked to explain her views to the council's Labour hierarchy at a meeting at her home.

The Labour group last week asked the party's national officials to investigate Mrs Cryer amid her calling for restrictions on immigrants entering the UK who are unable to speak English.

Later Mrs Cryer said the group had still not informed her of the contents of a resolution condemning her and deciding to write to the national party.

But at the talks, Mrs Cryer said she would now like immigrants to sign up for an English course when coming into the country, if in five years time the situation had not improved.

Her stance related particularly to husbands and wives who could not speak English coming to Britain on marriage.

Mrs Cryer said that it had been put to her by Labour councillors that some people in the Asian community felt the national tabloids had "demonised" them by taking some of her remarks out of context and misquoting her.

Mrs Cryer said her sole intention had been to improve the lot of the Asian community in Keighley.

Leader of the Labour group Councillor Ian Greenwood said: "We had a frank dialogue as comrades and shared our views. I hope we can maintain the dialogue in the Labour Party and reach accepted views."

At Keighley College on Wednesday, Mrs Cryer also listened to the asylum seekers' concerns about issues such as housing, work permits and health care.

More than 20 people hailing from states such as Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Albania and several Russian republics, are attending the five-week, full-time course.

Some are highly trained and in their native countries held positions such as nurses, paediatricians, teachers and computer technicians.

The trainees -- some of the 60 asylum seekers believed to be living in Keighley -- are learning English and getting specialist advice on legal, health and housing matters.

Bradford Action for Refugees teamed up for the course with the college and Keighley's Russell Street Project, which is providing computer training.

Mrs Cryer spent Wednesday morning with the asylum seekers and promised to follow up some of their grievances.

They were particularly concerned about lack of communication by the Home Office -- which oversees asylum seekers --resulting in several problems.

Mrs Cryer assured the men that they had the same rights as other people to privacy in their homes and contact with their Member of Parliament.

Mrs Cryer heard how the course is the first of its type in Bradford district and may be followed in September by more English courses.

Keighley College teacher Judith Brooksbank, who is leading the English lessons, also taught the college's first asylum seekers' course in February.

She believes the courses are very useful because they are tailored to the particular needs of asylum seekers in their everyday lives.

William Roche, who works for Bradford Action for Refugees, said the lessons helped people avoid common problems and learnt how to act appropriately in their host community.

Last week the Keighley News exclusively revealed the formal attack on Mrs Cryer by the Labour Group.

In her statement which the KN printed in full Mrs Cryer suggested a number of remedies which she said may be regarded as controversial by Asian 'leaders'

One recommendation was that much more should be provided in Further Education colleges and community centres for non-English speakers by way of high quality teaching of English as a second language and should include creche provisions.

The funding she said should come from both central and local government.

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