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Britons Upset Over Blair’s Immigration Numbers
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Britain believe the current administration has been less than forthcoming on a key campaign issue, according to a poll by MORI published in the Evening Standard. 65 per cent of respondents say the government is not open and honest about the scale of immigration.
British voters will renew the House of Commons on May 5. Labour's Tony Blair has been Britain's prime minister since 1997. The governing party's election manifesto includes the introduction of a points system for immigration.
Conservative leader Michael Howard said the recent arrest of alleged al-Qaeda operative Kamel Bourgass "underlines the chaos in our asylum system." In January, Howard tabled his party's immigration plans, which include "a quota on asylum, 24-hour security in our ports and a points system for work permits." The proposal would also contemplate Britain's withdrawal from the 1951 United Nations (UN) Refugee Convention.
Labour minister Peter Hain accused the Tories of "scurrilous, right-wing, ugly tactics," adding, "Michael Howard is just shamelessly using this issue to try and scare people back into voting Conservative without proposing any workable solutions."
Polling Data
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? - The government is open and honest about the scale of immigration into Britain.
Strongly agree | 2% |
Tend to agree | 15% |
Neither agree nor disagree | 12% |
Tend to disagree | 31% |
Strongly disagree | 34% |
Don't know | 6% |
Source: MORI / The Evening Standard
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews to 1,793 British voters, conducted from Apr. 7 to Apr. 11, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.