Michael Howard has picked up his election campaigning with an attack on Labour's immigration record.

In a speech in Shropshire on Sunday, the Conservative leader said that Tony Blair "may want to pussyfoot around this issue, but I don't".

Following a two day pause in hostilities due to the Pope's funeral and the royal wedding, the Tory chief hit on one of his keynote themes.

He told GMTV's Sunday Programme: "Immigration today is out of control and that is a matter of great concern for the future of good community relations in Britain... it's of concern for our national security; it's a concern for the future of our public services.

"Immigration is of real concern to very many people of all parties and of none. A lot of people say I should not talk about these things and that they should be swept under the carpet; I do not agree with that.

"You have to face up to problems; you have to identify them; and you have to say what you would do about them."

The Tories are proposing a new border police force, an annual limit on the number of arrivals and extra health checks for immigrants.

Counter attack

But Cabinet minister Peter Hain told the same programme Howard was exploiting people's fear of foreigners.

"We have been seeking to tackle it. Michael Howard is just shamelessly using this issue to try and scare people back into voting Conservative without proposing any workable solution," the Commons leader said.

In a speech in his own Sedgefield constituency, the prime minister also attacked the Tories' own record in office.

"Never, ever let them back to do the damage they did to our country again," Blair said.

Labour also paraded former Conservative immigration minister Charles Wardle at a press conference to attack Tory policies as unworkable.

"The annual limit sounds great but when you take it apart it doesn't work," he said.

Culture

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy argued that "this country has a proud history of opening its doors to generations of people fleeing personal persecution, civil unrest and war".

"We must never surrender that track record," he said.

"I believe that our country is richer and more vibrant precisely because it is multi-racial and multi-ethnic.

"Where immigration and asylum issues are concerned, the challenge is for the politicians to make the systems work in the best long-term interests of the country. It requires sensitivity and responsibility. It is not an issue for political posturing.

"The Liberal Democrats want a quota and green card system based on an assessment of Britain's economic needs. Many employers need to hire skills from abroad. 

"And we need to look at things like skills shortages in our health service. So we need less political posturing and more concern for the real needs of our economy and our health service."