Cable in a knot over PM’s call for ‘better immigration’ and an end to benefits culture

DAVID Cameron denied today that the coalition was split over tackling immigration, after he was accused by a Cabinet minister of using “very unwise” language which risked inflaming extremism.

The Prime Minister rejected Business Secretary Vince Cable’s criticism - insisting he was dealing with an issue of high public importance in a “sensible, measured, serious tone”.

As the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats prepare for their first major ballot box showdown since joining forces in Government, tensions resurfaced today over the crunch subject.

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Mr Cable, who has publicly questioned the impact of a cap on foreign entrants on businesses and universities, objected to Mr Cameron’s call for “good immigration not mass immigration”.

“I do understand there is an election coming but talk of mass immigration risks inflaming the extremism to which he and I are both strongly opposed,” he told the BBC.

But responding to his Lib Dem colleague’s warning, Mr Cameron said he had never shied away from addressing the immigration in all his time as Tory leader.

“The country elected a Government wanting us to roll up our sleeves and deal with some of these issues.

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“This speech is, I think, a very good explanation if how we are dealing with them in an extremely fair and sensible way,” he told an audience of party activists in Romsey, Hampshire.

“I am very willing to be judged by the British people, not only on the content of the speech and the action we are taking, but also the very measured way in which it is being described and put forward.”

Mr Cameron acknowledged that there had been “some really serious arguments” made within the Government over the impact of his action to drastically reduce the number of new entrants.

But he insisted that all those points had been answered.

“The policy has been agreed by the coalition. It is coalition and Government policy and it is being put in place right across the board,” he said.

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“Coalitions do mean you have discussions and argument within your Government. We have had those, we’ve settled the policy, we’ve agreed it.

“We have a very good, robust policy and that is the policy of the whole Government.”

In his speech, Mr Cameron said reducing immigration was “of vital importance to the future of our country” and recognised that in some areas it had caused “discomfort and disjointedness”.

He attacked the “woeful” welfare system which meant foreign workers could not be blamed for snapping up jobs that should be taken up by Britons languishing on state handouts.

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And accused Labour of inflaming the debate by “talking tough” but failing to act, a move which has “created space” for extremist parties.

In his speech, Mr Cameron said Britain had “benefited immeasurably” from immigration but added: “I am also clear about something else: for too long, immigration has been too high.”

The largest influx ever seen brought 2.2 million more people to live in this country between 1997 and 2009 than left to live abroad, he said, placing “real pressure on communities up and down the country”.

Politicians had a duty to talk about that, he said, not close down debate as Labour had done, giving the impression that being concerned about it was racist.

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Labour “created the space for extremist parties to flourish”, he said.

The coalition agreement notes the “need to introduce a cap on immigration and reduce the number of non-EU immigrants”.

But it does not include the specific Tory aim of getting net migration down into the tens of thousands rather than the hundreds of thousands.

Mr Cameron said measures such as an annual limit on entrants and a crackdown on “bogus” colleges exploiting student visas meant the Government was “on track” to meet that figure.

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The Government would also consult on how to stop people coming to the UK on short-term visas and then settling here permanently.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, saw the speech before it was delivered and a source stressed that Mr Cameron was making a party political speech.

“This is a Conservative Prime Minister speaking to Conservative party activists using Conservative language,” he said - saying the Lib Dems had “a slightly different opinion”.

Local elections in many parts of England as well as polls for devolved governments in Scotland and Wales and the electoral reform referendum take place in three weeks.

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The contests have forced internal coalition dissent to the surface.

“The reference to the tens of thousands of immigrants rather than hundreds of thousands is not part of the coalition agreement. It is Tory party policy only,” Mr Cable said.

“I do understand there is an election coming but talk of mass immigration risks inflaming the extremism to which he and I are both strongly opposed.”

Mr Cameron told reporters: “This speech is Liberal Democrat policy, this is coalition policy.

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“On the issue of immigration where, yes, the Conservatives had spoken about this issue more often in Opposition and done a serious amount of preparatory work in policy, we did make sure that in that coalition agreement were serious immigration policies that would get our immigration system back under control.

“We have agreed across Government what we are going to do when it comes to universities, what we are going to do when it comes to highly talented migrants who want to come to this country.

“But the net effect of that is proper immigration control and a significant reduction in the levels of immigration that, frankly, were out of control over the last decade, and that is the view of everyone in the coalition Government.”

In the past “state multiculturalism” had kept different migrant groups in “silos” rather than integrating them into British society, he said.

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“I think that was wrong. We should be very clear that we want to welcome people here but we want to welcome people here to integrate, to learn the language, to build a strong country together.”

Speaking outside the town hall, Immigration Minister Damian Green said Mr Cameron used “moderate, sensible tones with which the vast majority of the British people would agree”.

Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the split in the coalition over immigration policy could be exploited by extremist groups.

“We are not at all clear what he (the Prime Minister) means by bad immigration,” he said. “If it’s cutting out abuses then why are we cutting the staff at the UKBA (UK Border Agency) by 9,000 posts?

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“If it’s about easing up illegal immigrants then why aren’t we doing more to have face-to-face interviews in the posts abroad?

“We understand the need to debate these issues and I don’t believe that the Prime Minister is wrong to discuss this matter. But I do think we should have some clear definitions and some clarity as to where Government policy actually is.”

Jonathan Ellis, director of advocacy at the Refugee Council, said promises to impose stricter language requirements were being undermined by cuts to classes.

“We are encouraged that in a speech about reducing the number of people coming to the UK, the Prime Minister has noted the importance of keeping our doors open to people fleeing persecution,” he said.

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“We are also pleased the UKBA is close to clearing the backlog of asylum cases that has left so many people without a decision for far too long, leaving them unable to play a full part in society for years, but they must not stop until the backlog is cleared.

“However, David Cameron’s demands for people settling in the UK to speak English and make more effort to integrate into their local communities are completely contradicted by the Government’s swingeing cuts to funding for ESOL classes.

“We know from our experience how important it is for refugees and asylum seekers to be able to develop their English, yet many refugees, asylum seekers and migrants will be unable to afford to learn English lessons as a result of the cuts, further isolating many people from mainstream society.”

The speech was made in the context of a local election campaign where the Conservatives and Lib Dems were campaigning for votes against one another, and Lib Dem sources stressed that differences with Mr Cameron were over the tone of his comments, not the policy.

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A source close to Mr Clegg said: “The Deputy Prime Minister would not make a speech using this language, he is a Liberal Democrat, but the policy was agreed.

“But this tone and language does not reflect where the Liberal Democrats come from and are on this issue.”

While Mr Clegg had been shown the speech, in line with the convention within the coalition, that was simply to be clear there were no changes in policy.

“It’s not for us to tell a Conservative Prime Minister about language and tone, in the same way we would not expect the Prime Minister to tell Nick what he can say,” the source said.

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Labour leader Ed Miliband said “Instead of indulging in grandstanding rhetoric he (Cameron) should just get on with the job because we all want to see a good immigration policy, we all think immigration does need to be controlled.”

The student visa element of Government policy remained “murky”, he said, and cuts to Border Agency staff numbers would also cause a problem.

Public differences were “another example of where this looks like a coalition of convenience, not a coalition of principle”, he said.

“It is hard to have a Government policy that is clear and coherent if your Business Secretary, who is in charge of your student visa policy ... is going out of his way to attack the Prime Minister,” he told Sky News.

“The next time he makes a speech, why don’t they get a grip, have a proper discussion, get an agreed policy. That is the right way to run a Government.”