Howard's immigration crackdown

Michael Howard today stepped up his campaign on immigration, pledging a "substantial reduction" in numbers if the Tories return to power.

Mr Howard also suggested cities would be hit by racial tensions without tough action to ease the social pressures caused by large-scale immigration. "Our proposals will lead to a substantial reduction in the number of people settling in the UK," he said.

"I think most people would agree that Britain has reached a turning point. They know that our communities cannot successfully absorb newcomers at today's pace. We need to change direction." Mr Howard's taboo-breaking speech put immigration controls at the heart of the Conservative election campaign. He promised:

? An annual ceiling on the overall number of immigrants and asylum seekers, which would be set by Parliament after taking advice from businesses and public service chiefs on the numbers needed to fill jobs.

"Mr Blair has presided over an unprecedented rise in immigration - it has more than doubled since he came to power," said Mr Howard.

"Nearly 160,000 people now settle in Britain each year, a city the size of Peterborough."

? Britain would quit the 1951 UN refugee convention, which obliges it to take anyone fleeing persecution and introduce a quota that would vary during times of war.

The Tory leader said the current system was discredited because it had no limits, encouraged people-smugglers and favoured fraudsters and those with the wealth to travel.

"If we were inventing an asylum system today, we wouldn't come up with the current one," he said. "The majority of people who claim asylum are not genuine refugees." He branded the system "inhumane" because even genuine refugees were forced to enter the UK by deception.

? An Australian-style points system to give priority to would-be incomers with skills demanded by British employers. "I entirely accept that immigration is part of a competitive, dynamic modern economy," he said.

? 24-hour security at ports and the scrapping of the unofficial Home Office rule that anyone staying in Britain for four years can have automatic leave to settle permanently. Immigrants would also be required to learn English.

"I know what needs to be done and I have the political will to do it," said Mr Howard. "Immigration cannot continue at its present, uncontrolled levels."

Tory strategists believe they have identified an issue that will get through to voters.

Labour reacted nervously to Mr Howard's campaign, launched in a full-page newspaper advertisement, and ministers are wary of condemning his ideas.

The Government has been frantically rewriting its own policies to counter the Tory threat.

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy accused Mr Howard of falling back on "hardcore" policies out of "desperation". Trevor Phillips, the former Labour mayoral candidate who heads the Commission for Racial Equality, accused the Tories of relying on "ill-informed propaganda".

Mr Howard, the son of a Jewish Romanian refugee who fled to South Wales in 1939, denied he was exploiting race. "I come from an immigrant family," he said. "I understand that firm but fair immigration controls are essential for good community relations.

"It's not racist, as some people claim, to talk about controlling immigration. It is plain common sense."