BRITAIN: Britain's opposition Conservative Party put immigration at the top of the pre-election agenda yesterday with a pledge of tough controls that drew accusations it was playing the "race card" to reverse opinion polls.
The Conservatives, trailing the Labour Party with an election expected in May, promised an annual limit on immigrants, a quota for asylum-seekers and an Australian-style points system for work permits.
Labour acknowledged "fair immigration" was a real concern to the public but said its rivals' sums on spending did not add up.
The opposition Liberal Democrats accused the Conservatives of lurching to the right to get out of a political rut.
"Some people say this is racist. It's not. It's common sense," wrote Conservative leader Mr Michael Howard in a newspaper article outlining his policies.
"There are literally millions of people in other countries who want to come and live here. Britain cannot take them all."
Many European Union officials privately acknowledge the need for immigrants to counter a declining and ageing population, fill skills shortages and help defuse a looming pensions crisis.
But anti-immigration parties have tapped into voters' concern over overstretched public services and public opposition to migrants, particularly of Muslim origin.
The mood has hardened in some countries since the September 11th, 2001, attacks on the United States and the 2004 Madrid bombings.
Home Office minister Ms Hazel Blears said Labour supported "controlled migration" and would unveil its plans on immigration in coming days. She attacked the Conservatives' funding plans but did not unpick the substance of their policies.
"These issues should be discussed, not swept under the carpet, not covered with the race card. But actually how do we get a firm but fair immigration system?" she told Sky News.
The Liberal Democrats said its fellow opposition party was resorting to "hard-core policies" to get out of a rut.
"It's another indication of the desperation within the Conservative Party as the general election looms large," party leader Mr Charles Kennedy said on BBC television.