Blair Accuses Howard of Exploiting Fears About Immigration

By Andrew Woodcock, PA Political Correspondent

Prime Minister Tony Blair today accused Conservative leader Michael Howard of exploiting fears about
immigration and asylum out of political desperation.

Mr Blair denounced Tory policy on the issue as “a joke” which would result in chaos and confusion.

But he acknowledged it was not racist to raise concerns about immigration, promising those worried
about the numbers of foreigners coming into the UK: “We are listening.”

Mr Blair said the introduction of “strict” immigration controls would feature in Labour’s first
legislative programme if it is re-elected on May 5.

Conservatives said the PM’s comments, in a speech in Dover, Kent, showed he was “rattled” by their
campaign, which has focused heavily on the issues of asylum and immigration.

“A rattled Mr Blair hopes that one speech, 13 days before a general election, on an issue he’s
ignored for eight years, will make people suddenly trust him,” said shadow home secretary David
Davis.

“He’s spent years pussyfooting around this issue, during which time our asylum and immigration
system has become chaotic and out of control.”

In his first high-profile intervention on the issue since the election campaign began, Mr Blair said
immigration and asylum should not be used as “a political weapon, an instrument of division and
discord”.

Conservative slogans loudly denied it was racist to discuss immigration, but no senior politician
said that it was, said Mr Blair.

The slogans were “an attempt deliberately to exploit people’s fears, to suggest that for reasons of
political correctness, those in power don’t dare deal with the issue, so that the public is left
with the impression that they are being silenced in their concerns, that those in Government are
blindly ignoring them,” he said.

“The Tory party have gone from being a one-nation party to being a one-issue party in this
campaign.”

Speaking at Dover’s new cruise liner terminal, Mr Blair said: “I never want this to be an issue that
divides our country, that sets communities against each other.

“We are a tolerant, decent nation. That tolerance should not be abused. But neither should it be
turned on its head.

“It is the duty of Government to deal with the issues of both asylum and immigration.

“But they should not be exploited by a politics that in desperation seeks refuge in them.”

Mr Howard promised to set a quota on asylum seekers and immigrants, but refused to put a figure on
it, said Mr Blair. He said he would have asylum seekers processed in offshore centres, but was
unable to say where.

And Tory plans for tighter immigration controls were coupled with “extraordinary” proposals to slash
£897.6 million a year from the Immigration Service.

“It’s bad enough that they are running the type of campaign that they are running,” said Mr Blair.

“But on the one issue they are running their campaign on, they don’t even have a policy that even
remotely adds up to anything other than a lot of nonsense.”

Mr Blair hailed the economic and social contribution of immigrants to a modern Britain whose
diversity was “a source of strength, not weakness”.

But he acknowledged widespread public concern about abuses of the system, saying: “Concern over
asylum and immigration is not about racism. It is about fairness.

“People want to know that the rules and systems we have in place are fair.

“People also want to know that those they elect to government get it. That we are listening.

“We do get it. We are listening.”

Labour plans further reforms to create asylum and immigration systems which are “fair and workable
and secure”, said Mr Blair.

He announced the recruitment of 600 new immigration officers to speed up the removal of failed
asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.

If returned to office, Labour would extend the use of detention and electronic tagging to keep track
of those awaiting deportation, as well as introducing finger-printing of visa applicants in order to
overcome the problem of people destroying their documents on arrival in the UK.

An Australian-style points system would be introduced to ensure that economic migrants have the
skills Britain needs, and migration schemes for low-skilled workers in industries like fruit-picking
and catering would be phased out.

Mr Blair pledged to reintroduce the controversial Identity Cards Bill if he is re-elected, adding:
“I challenge the Conservatives to support us this time round, having blocked the passage of the Bill
before the election.”

Labour’s plans were “practical and sensible proposals to root out abuse, but to maintain the
migration that helps underpin our economy and our prosperity”, he said.

The chairman of immigration think-tank Migrationwatch UK, Sir Andrew Green, said Mr Blair had
“completely missed the point”.

“The truth is that net immigration has trebled under the present Government,” he said.

“In the last 10 years of the previous Government the average was 54,000, under the present
Government it has been 157,000.

“This is what will add five million to our population – or five times the population of Birmingham –
by 2031.

“The speech gave no indication of any intention, still less any policy, to reduce this unprecedented
level of immigration.”

©2005 Scotsman.com
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