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Gordon Brown: 'immigrants must honour British values'
(Peter Macdiarmid/AFP/Getty Images)
The Prime Minister urged political parties to treat the issue with sensitivity but was criticised by the statistics authority for exaggerating a fall in migrant numbers

Roland Watson, Political Editor

Gordon Brown said immigrants who are unwilling to honour British values are not welcome yesterday, as he pledged to do more to meet the concerns of the “mainstream majority”.

Mr Brown said he agreed that it was unfair if newcomers took advantage of Britain’s freedoms without making a fair contribution in return. But his attempt to deal with strong voter concerns over immigration was undermined when he was criticised by a watchdog for exaggerating the fall in migrant numbers.

Sir Michael Scholar, the chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, said that the Prime Minister had used figures in his weekend podcast that were “not comparable” when he claimed that there had been a big fall in net inward migration — the number of people allowed into Britain minus those leaving.

Mr Brown conceded Sir Michael’s point but stuck to his theme, insisting that migrant numbers had fallen by tens of thousands in the past two years.

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GRAPHIC: net migration to the UK
Speaking in East London, Mr Brown defended Labour’s more recent record on immigration as he sought to draw the sting from a potentially inflammatory campaign issue.

Immigration is cited as the number one concern by many voters, more important even than the economy. As the BNP threatens a decisive electoral challenge in some seats, Labour strategists know that they cannot ignore it.

Mr Brown called on all parties to treat immigration sensitively during the election and to unite against extremists. Without mentioning the BNP, he urged solidarity against “those who want to end immigration simply because they don’t like migrants”.

But he said that people had the right to talk about the issue and he sympathised with the concerns of those who may be attracted to the BNP’s message. He cited the worries of care workers, builders and shop workers, the “hard-pressed, hard-working majority”, and sought to address them in his speech.

“I know people think it’s unfair when it feels as though some can take advantage of the freedoms and opportunities we offer in Britain without making a fair contribution or playing by the rules. So do I.

“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’re not welcome.”

He said that Labour’s points system, which allows migrants from non-EU countries to fill highly skilled jobs, had helped to bring down net migration. Mr Brown called for “something of a consensus” among the main parties, and warned against those who “scaremonger with unsubstantiated claims”.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, said that he was glad Mr Brown had decided to address the issue and promised a calm, sensible campaign debate. But he said that tackling the issue should be linked to welfare reform.

“We need proper control of immigration,” Mr Cameron said. “I would like to see net migration come down to the level of the 1980s and 1990s.

“But we should be explaining to people that there is a link to our failure to reform welfare with the high levels of immigration into Britain.”

Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, said that net migration into Britain had risen threefold since Labour came to power.

The Conservatives claimed credit for the intervention of Sir Michael in the affair after they lodged complaints about Mr Brown’s podcast. In it, Mr Brown said that net inward migration had fallen from 237,000 in 2007 to 163,000 in 2008 and 147,000 last year.

Sir Michael said that the 237,000 figure was incorrect and should have been 233,000. More seriously, he said that Mr Brown had compared different sets of data.

Mr Brown said that by one measure, long-term international migration, the figure had fallen from 233,000 to 163,000 between 2007-08. According to provisional figures from the International Passenger Survey, the number fell from 170,000 to 147,000 in the two years to June 2009. But the survey does not include incoming asylum seekers and migrants who arrive on short-term visas but overstay them.

Mr Brown also said the Conservative plan to cap non-EU migration was arbitrary and unworkable. It would be bad for business, he said, if employers wanted to hire someone urgently with a special skill, only to find that the year’s quota had already been filled.

“The debate isn’t about who will open the floodgates and who will shut all doors. Neither of these are responsible options. It’s actually about the flexibility to access the skilled workers we need and to exclude the rest,” he said.

“These are the concerns of the mainstream majority and people have a right to talk about what these issues mean for them.”

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