Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve We've actually done something terrible to ourselves in Britain. In the name of trying to prepare people for some new multicultural society we've encouraged people, particularly the sort of long-term inhabitants, to say 'well your cultural background isn't Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve

Speaking to The Guardian on Saturday, shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve, says multiculturalism in the UK has left a "terrible" legacy, creating a vacuum that has been filled by extremists from across the political spectrum.

In the interview, coming on the eve of the Conservative party conference, Grieve says that "long-term inhabitants" have been left fearful, while second and third generation immigrants have felt alienated and unsure what British values stand for.

Grieve told the Guardian:

"We've actually done something terrible to ourselves in Britain. In the name of trying to prepare people for some new multicultural society we've encouraged people, particularly the sort of long-term inhabitants, to say 'well your cultural background isn't really very important'."

He added:

"In this vacuum the BNP rise and Hizb ut-Tahrir rises. They're two very similar phenomena of people who are experiencing a form of cultural despair about themselves, their identity. And it's terribly easy to latch on to confrontational and aggressive variants of their cultural background as being the only way to sort of reassure themselves that they can survive and have an identity."

"The idea behind it was [to] create the melting pot. But the melting pot needs the ingredients of people's confidence in themselves as they come together. And if it isn't there I think we've done ourselves huge damage."

He also raises fears that "fundamental Islam" is restricting debate.

"Our country has adapted because people have been tolerant which has often required a lot of forbearance and acceptance of things they didn't like. We all have to accept things we don't like. That is how Britain has evolved. When I go and address an Islamic audience I always point this out."