BRITONS WANT A STRICT LIMIT ON MIGRANTS
By Tom Whitehead,
Home Affairs Correspondent
Daily Express
Saturday December 1,2007
VOTERS yesterday delivered a damning verdict on Labour's shambolic immigration policy and demanded an annual cap on migrants.
About three quarters of the population believe there should be a limit, with more than half of these saying it should be as low as 10,000 a year.
Almost two thirds think there are too many immigrants and the majority of people believe ministers are doing a poor job over the issue.
The study is all the more humiliating for the Government as it comes from the Home Office's internal polling.
Concerns over the impact of Labour policies deepened this week as experts again warned of pressures on local services and communities.
And on Thursday, the Daily Express revealed a baby boom among Eastern European migrants who have flowed to the UK since they joined the EU three years ago.
But last night, ministers ignored the views of the country and insisted there will be no annual cap, which has also been called for by the Tories.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: “The Home Office cannot ignore this. Not only does their research show that the public believe the Home Office's approach to immigration is a shambles, but 77 per cent of the public think the solution is for them to adopt Conservative policy.
“If ministers and officials have actually managed to show this to the Home Secretary, she should not waste any time in acting.”
The survey is one of a series conducted for the Home Office to help support policy development.
While 34 per cent of the public believe immigration has been good for Britain, 55 per cent disagree.
Almost nine in 10 say immigrants should be made to learn English and eight in 10 say members of ethnic minorities should demonstrate a real commitment to the UK before being considered British.
Sir Andrew Green, of MigrationWatch UK, said: “The figures reflect extremely strong public opinion which the Government have ignored for years.
“Indeed, they have stimulated the arrival of over two million immigrants since they came to power.
The Ipsos Mori poll for the Home Office questioned 1,011 people between May 19 and June 24.
