Race boss claims EU migrants are bigots

Speaking about the tensions in British communities, Trevor Phillips said many arrivals from former Soviet countries displayed prejudice against black people.

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Debate over Muslim dress could trigger riots, race chief warns

"Some eastern European people have attitudes to black people that date back to the Fifties," he told BBC television. "And that is not acceptable."

His warning came as Home Secretary John Reid prepared to impose curbs on immigration from Romania and Bulgaria when the two countries join the EU in January. The measures are expected to include a time limit on how long people who arrive looking for work can stay. Skilled workers will be favoured, with only a small number of unskilled labourers being allowed entry.

Ministers accept they made a mistake by not imposing similar controls when other countries including Poland joined the EU in 2004. The Government estimated that 13,000 would arrive but more than 330,000 actually flocked in.

The new stance reflects heightened concern about race relations in the wake of the Muslim veil row.

Representatives of all the major religions will meet Education Secretary-Alan Johnson today for an "inclusion summit", to discuss how schools can help improve community relations.

Mr Johnson will press his plan to empower local authorities to make all new faith schools admit up to a quarter of pupils from different religions.

But he will assure them he has no plans to backdate the power to cover existing schools.

Meanwhile, there were claims that the veil row could inflame inner city violence and risk a repeat of the riots in northern towns.

Dewsbury Labour MP Shahid Malik said: "If we don't take a grip of this debate now, it will have serious social consequences, and politicians and certain elementsof the media need to act more responsibly." He added: "The basic ingredients for conflict are out there. It takes only one spark to set things off."

The Muslim Council of Britain said the debate about integration had become "increasingly ugly and shrill" in recent weeks.

Secretary-general Muhammad Abdul Bari said: "We have seen veils being forcefully pulled off Muslim women, a number of mosques subjected to arson attacks, and Muslim individuals, including an imam in Glasgow, badly beaten up by thugs.

"This cannot be described as being merely a 'debate'."