ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION numbers in the United Kingdom are under control and illegal migrants are “unwelcome”, British prime minister Gordon Brown told voters yesterday.
The issue could be central in a number of constituencies come the election, expected in May, particularly if voters opt to back the far-right British National Party in any numbers.
“To those migrants who think they can get away without making a contribution; without respecting our way of life; without honouring the values that make Britain what it is – I have only one message – you are not welcome,” the prime minister told a party audience in Shoreditch, East London.
However, in a a subtle message he warned that British economic growth will be damaged if draconian rules are put in place.
Mr Brown said net migration has fallen 30 per cent between 2007 and 2008, although some of this can be accounted for by the return of Eastern European migrants.
“People recognise the positives of migration – economically and socially – but they also want to see fair rules that nobody can duck.
“Labour’s new Australian-style points-based system means that only those who have the skills to benefit our economy can come here. Skilled jobs must now be advertised here for four weeks before employers can bring someone in from outside. And as our investment in the training of young people and adult workers raises our local skills levels – the need for skilled migrant workers can be substantially reduced,” he said.
New rules to stop abuses, such as a clampdown on those who come to study but take up work, and on bogus colleges, will reduce the number of such students by 40,000 next year, said Mr Brown, who claimed that the recruitment of non-EU care workers, such as Filipino nurses, and chefs will stop in five years’ time.
Politicians in the major parties must present “a united front” to parties such as British National Party, he said. “No mainstream party wants to bring an end to immigration altogether – the debate is over how to control it, about what level it should be and how we achieve that.”
He repeatedly tried to assure those concerned about immigration: “I know how people worry that immigration might be changing their neighbourhoods. They would worry if immigration was putting pressure on schools, hospitals and housing; and they question whether immigration might undermine their wages or might harm the job prospects of their children.” Major parties must talk about the problems “because if we don’t, people will listen to whoever does”, but equally they had to avoid “dog whistle politics”.
Net immigration to the UK fell to 163,000 in 2008, down from 233,000 the year before, Mr Brown said. Provisional figures from the office of national statistics show that the drop continued last year, to 147,000: “This doesn’t mean immigration isn’t an issue. It is. That’s why I am talking about it today. But we should not allow people to scaremonger with unsubstantiated claims about rising net inward migration today.”
Fewer foreigners from outside the EU are allowed to come to the UK because more British people are being trained to fill vacancies, he said. But he refused to put an annual cap on immigration, saying that such a rule would be too inflexible and could damage the ability of companies to hire necessary staff.