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Most Britons want jobless immigrants to be asked to leave
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent16.03.09
MORE than three-quarters of Britons believe jobless immigrants should be asked to leave the UK, according to a new poll.
The finding will raise fears that the far-Right BNP could prosper in the recession as unemployment rises.
In addition, more than half of the adults in Britain who took part in the FT/Harris survey opposed the right for citizens from other European Union countries to work here.
Outspoken immigration minister Phil Woolas admitted that the Government, despite years of tough talking on immigration, had yet to convince many voters that it had properly tightened Britain's borders.
"The poll figures are not a surprise, they are a concern, and in significant part they are because they public don't believe that the Government has got control," he said.
"The central goal of my immigration policy is to provide the assurance to the public that we know who's here and who's not here."
Immigrants from Eastern Europe have been generally welcomed by people in Britain as they have been seen as skilled tradesmen and women and to have filled gaps in the workforce.
However, the poll also found that more adults in the UK, 54 per cent, than in Germany, France, Italy or Spain, are against citizens from other EU countries getting a job in their country.
Just over half of those interviewed in Britain strongly supported the idea that the Government should ask unemployed immigrants to leave the country, with about a quarter "somewhat" backing such a policy.
Only the Italians felt as strongly on this issue.
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said the findings reflected Labour's failures over immigration combined with pressures on the jobs market.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has faced criticism for his slogan "British jobs for British workers" and the country was hit by wildcat strikes this year over the use of foreign workers at an oil refinery in Lincolnshire.
Town halls in London are to get millions of pounds to help deal with a surge in immigrants.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will this week unveil plans for a £50 fee for immigrants to the UK from non-EU countries.
The scheme is expected to raise around £70 million over the next few years with funds being distributed to councils having to provide extra health, education and other services because of the influx of newcomers.
Several town halls in London, including Hammersmith and Fulham, have complained they are being underfunded because of flawed population figures.
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