Howard defends immigration stance
Conservative leader Michael Howard has today been defending his call for tougher controls on immigration.
It comes after senior Conservatives reportedly warned him to tone down his tough stance, following poor showings in the opinion polls.
They are said to be concerned that the Conservatives are coming across as a “single issue party”.
But speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Howard denied that he had received representations from senior Tories.
He also repeated a warning he first gave on Monday night that failure to control immigration could lead to further race riots.
He said: “I have always said that we have benefited from immigration and that we are a stronger and richer country as a result.”
But he added: “I also believe that immigration has to be brought under control so that we have good community relations in our country, so that we get a grip on the security problems that we face, and so that we effectively manage our public services.
“That is the case I have been making throughout this campaign, and it is the case I will continue to make.”
Earlier, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy condemned Tory proposals to cap the number of asylum seekers coming into the country as “not humane”.
Opinions polls published today gave Labour a lead of between five and nine points, and the gap appears to have widened since the start of the election campaign.
