Blair's immigration fightback

Tony Blair today countered Michael Howard's attack on immigration with fresh plans to tackle the issue.

Declaring that he "gets it" about public worries over immigrants, the Prime Minister attempted to outflank the Tories with tough plans for the next Parliament.

He announced moves to:

In a bid to cut the Tories' clear poll lead on asylum and immigration, Mr Blair said it was not racist to be " concerned" about the subject.

His remarks, a clear echo of Michael Howard's election slogan, came days after the Premier was forced to admit he had no idea how many illegal immigrants were in Britain.

But Mr Blair warned that while the public wanted to know that current rules were firm and fair, the Conservatives should not try to exploit the issue out of "desperation" to win votes.

Mr Howard also came under fire from former cabinet minster Michael Portillo, who warned that the Tory party's focus on immigration proved that it had not changed its image.

In the Prime Minister's first keynote speech on the subject, Mr Blair told an audience in Dover today: "People want to know that those they elect to government get it. That we are listening. We do get it. We are listening.

"Concern over asylum and immigration is not about racism. It is about fairness. People want to know that the rules and systems we have in place are fair, fair to hardworking taxpayers who deserve to know that others are playing by the rules."

He added: "But I never want this to be an issue that divides our country, that sets communities against each other. We are a tolerant, decent nation.

"That tolerance should not be abused, but neither should it be turned on its head. We must never use these issues as a political weapon, an instrument of division and discord. The Tory party have gone from being a One Nation party to being a one-issue party."

Mr Blair outlined plans to detain and tag more failed asylum seekers, so that in future it will be the norm for all failed asylum seekers to be detained before deportation.

The Prime Minister's attack on Mr Howard was boosted when Mr Portillo hit out publicly at the Tory leader's electiontactics for the first time. Mr Portillo said: "The most important thing for the Tories to prove to people is that they have changed and I think that by having immigration as such a big part of the campaign, it suggests to people they haven't changed.

"It was a very big part of the last Conservative campaign, in which I was a major participant, and the Tories didn't prosper from it then."

His criticism will rankle with Mr Howard's team, who believe that they have tapped into the public mood over the issue.

Shadow home secretary David Davis today described the party's approach as "entirely respectable and entirely sensible".