Howard: Immigration warning

Michael Howard has committed the next Conservative government to ending Britain's international obligation to take unlimited numbers of asylum seekers and refugees.

In a keynote speech the Tory leader said that a new annual limit on the number of immigrants is essential.

Howard said that the UK had an "enviable record" on racial integration, but warned that the immigration system had to be "properly controlled".

Under the Tory proposals the three main categories of immigration will cover asylum, work permits and family reunion.

He said that Britain had reached a "turning point" and must now reassess how many immigrants the country can accept.

Howard said he would set an annual limit and introduce an Australian-style points system.

He said a future Tory government would deliver a "substantial reduction in the number of people settling in the UK".

Applications

Under the Tories the government would no longer consider asylum applications in the UK.

Instead, Britain will take genuine refugees who are "in the care" of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

"If people do try to claim asylum here, they will be taken to centres close to their region of origin, where their claims will be considered," said shadow home secretary David Davis.

"We will begin negotiations with overseas governments to establish these centres immediately after the election."

Reflecting on the current "crisis" Davis added that the situation required urgent action

"Britain’s asylum system is a chaotic shambles. Most people who claim asylum in the UK are not genuine refugees," he said.

"Only two in 10 applicants are actually granted asylum, while less than another two in 10 are granted 'Humanitarian Protection'.

"And, despite all Mr Blair’s promises, only just over one in five failed asylum seekers are removed."

Push

Over the weekend the Tory leader signed a full-page party advertisement in the Sunday Telegraph to promote his party's policy of quotas on migrants.

"Some people say this is racist. It's not. It is common sense," he argued.

But Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, accused the Tory leader of basing his policy on "the ill-informed propaganda of some of the more demented anti-immigration groups".

Meanwhile Charles Kennedy, interviewed on Breakfast with Frost, said: "It is another indication of the desperation within the Conservative Party as the general election looms large."