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'Rattled' Blair To Set Tough Tests Migrants
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 2-7-2005 | Toby Helm

Posted on 02/06/2005 5:43:25 PM PST by blam

'Rattled' Blair to set tough tests for migrants

By Toby Helm, Chief Political Correspondent
(Filed: 07/02/2005)

Tony Blair will try today to recapture ground lost to the Tories on immigration by announcing plans to turn away people who do not bring economic benefits or professional skills to the country.

The Prime Minister and Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, will announce the tough new tests for would-be immigrants from outside the EU as part of a five-year-plan to bring immigration under control.

Labour's new policy: ‘firm, fair and workable’

The policy, which Labour says is "firm, fair and workable", will involve an Australian-style test system to judge immigrants' likely contribution to society.

This approach, drawn up under Mr Blair's supervision, aims to show that Labour is responding to growing public concern about immigration.

Teachers, doctors, nurses and other skilled professionals will be favoured, as well as those who can show that they will have a positive effect on the economy.

But there will be no overall quotas on immigrants or asylum seekers, as planned by the Conservatives.

Mr Clarke said yesterday that migration for work or study was "a good thing". He added: "What is wrong is when that system is not properly policed and people are coming here who are a burden on the society. It is that we intend to drive out."

He will tell MPs today that anyone given a visa and entering Britain will have to have his or her fingerprints taken.

The reason was "to ensure that we can know everybody who is in the country". Others whose visas had expired would be asked to leave.

Speaking on BBC1's Breakfast with Frost, he said: "We will establish a system … which looks at the skills, talents and abilities of people seeking to come and work and ensures that when they come here they have a job and can contribute to the economy."

Labour's response reflects Mr Blair's worry that the party could lose millions of votes to the Tories unless it addresses public concern about spiralling immigration and the pressure on public services.

Opinion polls confirmed yesterday that the issue will be uppermost in voters' minds at the election, which is expected on May 5.

A YouGov poll for The Mail on Sunday found that 75 per cent of people thought Labour's policies on asylum were not tough enough. A poll for the Migrationwatch think-tank found that 45 per cent of voters would be influenced at the election by the parties' immigration policies.

The Conservative proposals, announced by Michael Howard last month, include withdrawing from the 1951 United Nations convention on refugees, setting an annual limit to immigration, including a quota for asylum seekers, 24-hour security at ports, offshore processing centres for asylum seekers and an Australian-style points system for work permits giving priority to those with skills the country needs.

Mr Blair rejected the Tory policy of quotas, saying that the number of immigrants would have to be judged according to demand.

But he told Radio 4's The Westminster Hour: "The fact of the matter is the public are worried about this; they are worried rightly because there are abuses of the immigration and asylum system."

Labour said the Tory plans lacked credibility because the Conservatives would have to make "deep cuts" to border controls to balance their books as a result of planned spending cuts.

Liam Fox, the Tory party co-chairman, insisted that the plans could be achieved and said that Labour was "rattled" over the issue.

He said: "Since Labour came to office … immigration has trebled to 150,000 a year - that is a city the size of Peterborough arriving every year. In eight years they have seen asylum and immigration run out of control."

Under the Government plans there will be measures to speed up the deportation of failed asylum seekers, including moves to set up electronic border controls.

They are likely to include the introduction of fees for migrants appealing against decisions not to allow their family members to join them. No fee has been set but a figure of £200 is thought likely to act as a deterrent.

Mr Clarke said he believed that people rightly had a sense that the well-known hospitality of the British people was being abused.

He dismissed suggestions that the main parties were involved in a battle to be the toughest on immigration and were adding to bigotry among the public.

"I reject that entirely," he said. "I think that the issue of who does come into this country, and whether they are entitled to be in this country, who does settle here, how we have border controls, is a perfectly legitimate aspect of public debate. And I think it is right that we should debate it and consider it."

He added: "I do not criticise the Conservatives for debating the question; I criticise them for having entirely impracticable proposals and not thinking through what they are doing.

"I think the irresponsible thing is to debate it without having a proper policy approach."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blair; migrants; rattled; set; tests; tough
"plans to turn away people who do not bring economic benefits or professional skills to the country."

May be we can get him to talk to GWB.

1 posted on 02/06/2005 5:43:26 PM PST by blam
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To: blam
May be we can get him to talk to GWB.

YES!

2 posted on 02/06/2005 6:46:13 PM PST by lancer (If you are not with us, you are against us!)
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To: blam

This is just fluff. They have to take anyone within the EU. Unless every other EU country cracks down on immigration, they will still have plenty of people country hopping looking for the best benefits.


3 posted on 02/06/2005 7:21:42 PM PST by jess35
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