Blair says Labour should argue for immigration – even if it risks votes

Labour should argue in favour of EU immigration, even if it runs the risk of losing votes, according to former prime minister Tony Blair. In an interview for a Channel 4 documentary airing later this week, Blair says he would have disagreed with Gillian Duffy’s remarks and argued that impact of immigration from the European Union has been good for the UK.

Duffy, who last week said she would be voting for Labour this year, clashed with then-PM Gordon Brown in 2010 on the subject of immigration, with Brown brandishing her a “bigoted woman” afterwards, not realising he was still wearing a microphone. But Blair says he would have been more up front about their difference of opinion:

“I would have said to her, I understand why you feel as you feel and why it’s difficult. But here’s the other side of the picture. So if we want to keep all those people out of the country let’s look at what their impact has actually been on our country and let’s look at why the idea in the European Union that people are able to move freely across frontiers is a good idea.

“I mean, you have just got to put the argument. She probably wouldn’t agree and she might vote for someone else as a result.”

Labour has taken a tougher stance on immigration under Miliband’s leadership, with “controls on immigration” making up one of the party’s five election pledges. Miliband has said that the level of immigration during Labour’s years in office proved the party was ignoring the impact on working class communities.

Blair, however, disagrees:

“I don’t agree it was a mistake. All we did was bring forward what would have happened anyway. In 2004 the economy was booming and we had a requirement for skilled workers from abroad.”

“Supposing you put all those people from Eastern Europe back out of Britain again would we be a stronger better country? The answer is no.”

Tony Blair has previously warned against “chasing after the policies of a party like UKIP” and said that Labour should argue against their policies on immigration and the EU. Nigel Farage has this weekend supported the idea that the children of immigrants should be banned from attending state schools for five years after moving to Britain.

It has been reported this morning (£) that Blair could step down or change his role as Quartet Representative to the Middle East, the position commonly referred to as “Peace Envoy”. He ha refused to comment on the speculation, but a clarification could come later this week.