We'll keep talking about immigration, insist Tories

And they vowed to continue talking about a subject that "is of concern to millions of people", after David Cameron complained that the numbers entering Britain were simply "too high".

The robust language on a traditionally key Tory battleground is part of the "fightback" promised by the party leader to head off a Labour surge in the polls.

Close allies of Mr Cameron claimed their private polling indicated the two parties were now neck-and-neck and showed the Conservative leader's personal ratings climbing after an initial "Brown bounce".

But last night there were reports of imminent bad news for Mr Cameron with one poll showing a persistent Labour lead and growing public support for Gordon Brown.

Any sign that the Prime Minister is consolidating his advantage after a strong start since his takeover in June will fuel speculation that he is preparing a snap autumn election.

Labour sources say a dash to the polls remains unlikely as voters' perception of Mr Brown remains unclear and the party's finances are stuck in the red.

Mr Cameron's aides denied suggestions he has "lurched to the Right" by talking tough on crime in the wake of the murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones and calling for a referendum on the revived EU constitution.

But Tory traditionalists were delighted when their leader used a Newsnight interview on Wednesday to flag up his concerns about immigration and set out what his party would do to reverse the trend.

The message was hammered home yesterday by party immigration spokesman Damian Green, who denied the party was appeasing its "core vote" on the Right.

"We will continue talking about issues that matter to people," he told the Daily Mail. "Immigration is increasingly important. What makes it important is the facts and figures.

"We have had for the past few years unprecedented levels of immigration.

"Britain benefits from it but it needs to be properly controlled so as to maximise benefits and minimise the strains.

"This Government has failed in that and we will do it differently. This message is going out and needs to go out."

He added: "It's not just a core Conservative issue. It's an issue of concern to millions of people in this country of all ethnic backgrounds and economic backgrounds and all political views."

Mr Green said controlling immigration would lead to greater community cohesion, explaining: "Local authorities in various parts of the country have pointed out the difficulties.

"For instance, in Slough, they found themselves suddenly having to find school places for large numbers of children who they didn't know were there, who couldn't speak English. That puts a huge strain on particular social services.

"Inevitably, many of the incoming communities do cluster together. It's a natural thing to do, and therefore if that's unplanned and unexpected then it's very difficult for the local authorities to cope.

"So actually having a firm immigration policy is a way of contributing to better community cohesion in this country."