Woolas hits back over immigration

Immigration minister Phil Woolas has reignited the row over claims of a “secret plot” to boost multiculturalism with mass immigration — by claiming Labour had in fact toughened up controls.

The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP denied any significant decision had been made to loosen immigration policy in 1997.

Since 1999, he said, controls on the numbers arriving had been tightened up and blamed the Tory Government of John Major for changing the law and allowing increases in illegal migrant numbers.

His comments came in response to the suggestion last week by Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair and David Blunkett, that the sharp increases in immigration since Labour came to power were a politically motivated attempt to make the country more diverse.

Ministers wanted to “rub the right’s nose” in diversity, Mr Neather said.

Speaking at the launch of a new joint intelligence unit to tackle organised immigration crime, Mr Woolas angrily denied the claims.

He said: “I spoke to Jack Straw on many occasions over that period from 1997 to 2001 and to David Blunkett as well.

“Indeed after the 1999 Immigration Act and particularly after the 2001 election the Labour government toughened up its policies on migration.

“There was not a significant decision in any way to liberalise immigration policy in 1997.

“The biggest reason for illegal immigration into the United Kingdom was not as Mr Neather said, it was the abandonment in 1994 by the John Major Government of border controls.

“I find Mr Neather’s statements not credible, not stood up by the truth and the civil servant to whom he has referred has as I understand refuted these accusations.”

In a newspaper article, Mr Neather wrote that Labour had relaxed controls between 2000 and 2001 as a part of a deliberate attempt to open up the country to mass migration.

But he said ministers were reluctant to discuss the matter publicly for fear of alienating their core working class supporters, and concentrated instead on making the economic case for immigration.

Mr Woolas said Mr Neather’s claims were simply not born out by the facts.

“The reason we have had increasing immigration under the Labour Government is Eastern European immigration and they have started to go home.

He added: “This Prime Minister has a much more robust attitude to migration than the previous prime minister, and the changes we have been implementing have come straight from Gordon Brown.”