In a new policy document the Conservatives have committed to a cut in non-EU immigration.

Publishing a policy paper on Thursday which sets out plans to "significantly" limit economic migration to the UK, the party said it will consider the effect of immigration on race relations.

The Tories said the "wider effects on society" should be considered as well as economic costs and benefits, when setting the level of non-EU migration to Britain.

"These effects include the ability of the public services and infrastructure to cope with new arrivals at both national and local levels, the environmental impact of a rapidly rising population and the potential effects on community cohesion," the document declared.

However, the paper steered clear of some of the language used by the party at the last election, which was felt to be alarmist.

Party leader David Cameron called for a "calm and serious" approach in his foreword to the report.

"Britain benefits economically from immigration, but not all or any immigration," he said.

Other proposals include separating asylum from economic migration policy and a national border force to control arrivals and deportations.

Immigration spokesman Damian Green said exact limits would be determined after annual consultation with councils and other interest groups.

But Cameron says he would expect it to be "significantly less" than current immigration levels from outside the EU.

"We would consult all those who are involved in providing public services, and obviously we'd consult industry, so we would get a figure which we think Britain could comfortably absorb every year, of those who are going to be economically beneficial, and we would set that limit," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"This specifically doesn't apply to asylum-seekers, to those who are coming for family reunion, because we think those, those are separate issues that we'll deal with in the future.

"But in this, this field of economic migrants, we will need to limit, we're absolutely clear about that."