Boris Johnson has praised immigrants who get up early and are ‘more industrious’ than many Brits (Picture: Getty Images)

Boris Johnson has accused Britons of being lazy and having themselves to blame for losing out on jobs to more hard-working foreigners.

The London mayor suggested as few as one in ten jobs were now being filled by Brits, because many are too illiterate or unwilling to match the effort shown by immigrants.

Mr Johnson, who has previously suggested an immigration amnesty, praised newcomers – especially those from eastern Europe – for having a ‘different work ethic’.

And he claimed one in four Brits leave primary school still unable to read, write or do basic maths.


Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he told of a conversation with a recruitment consultant for London restaurants who said just one in ten of the people she employed were British.



Mr Johnson said: ‘We all know that it isn’t enough to blame the immigrants.

‘For starters, we can’t kick people out when they are legally entitled to be here under EU rules.

‘Second, and much more important, it is economically illiterate to blame eastern Europeans for getting up early and working hard and being polite and helpful and therefore enabling the London catering trade to flourish.’

He blamed the last Labour government for failings in the education system, leaving many school-leavers illiterate and innumerate.

He added: ‘No wonder they will lose out, in the jobs market, to industrious people from eastern Europe who can take down a telephone message correctly.’

Unemployment in Britain rose by 7,000 to 2.52million between November and January, according to the most recent official figures – an overall rate of 7.8 per cent.

The youth unemployment rate is 21.2 per cent, with some 993,000 people aged between 16 and 24 now out of work.