A proposal to cap the numbers of immigrants settling in Britain after entering on work permits has been called “divisive and wasteful of talent”.

The proposal is at the core of a report published today by a new cross-party parliamentary group on balanced migration, chaired by the former Labour and Conservative ministers Frank Field and Nicholas Soames and backed by other Labour MPs. The launch will be accompanied by the release of a poll suggesting that significant cuts in immigration are backed by a large majority of supporters of all political parties.

The YouGov poll was timed to coincide with the report, which calls for a balanced migration policy under which immigration is capped in line with the number of emigrants to maintain a stable population. The authors said that ministers should reduce the number of nonEU migrants allowed to settle permanently in Britain.

Government statistics suggest that about seven million more people will come to live in Britain by 2031, equivalent to adding seven cities the size of Birmingham, the group said.

A sharp cut in immigration is backed by 81 per cent of Labour voters, 83 per cent of Liberal Democrats and 89 per cent of Conservatives, according to the poll commissioned on the group’s behalf by the think-tank Migrationwatch UK. A third of those questioned said that they would be more likely to vote Conservative if David Cameron adopted a balanced migration policy. Balanced migration was backed by 36 per cent of Labour voters, 43 per cent of Lib Dems and 23 per cent of Tories, but 45 per cent of Labour supporters, 30 per cent of Lib Dems and 66 per cent of Tories thought the limit should be even lower.

Among ethnic minority voters, 75 per cent thought that immigration should be cut, with 36 per cent backing balanced migration and 39 per cent wanting even tougher limits.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch UK, said: “Concern about the present massive uncontrolled level of immigration is not a partisan issue. I hope that all the political parties will now get the message and engage in a constructive debate about balanced migration.”

Mr Field said: “The results show not only overwhelming support but that newly arrived black and white British citizens wish to be given an opportunity of supporting a balanced migration approach at the next general election.”

Mr Field and Mr Soames said that the current points-based system for nonEU migrants selected foreign workers who were most useful to the economy but did not limit immigration. They said that only a small minority of migrants should be allowed to remain in Britain after the expiry of their four-year work permits.

The group, which includes Lord Ahmed, the first Muslim peer, and Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, believes that its proposals would reduce pressure on public services, infrastructure and the environment and enable the economy to stay competitive. Mr Field said many families were now living in societies they could “barely recognise” because of an “unprecedented wave” of immigration over the past decade.

Mr Soames added: “We need to strike the right balance between creating a competitive economy with a flexible workforce, and relieving the burdens that uncontrolled immigration is placing upon our society.”

Conservatives welcomed the formation of the group. Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “We have made our own proposals to set an annual limit on economic immigration, because we want to reduce the pressure on our public services that has been caused by the uncontrolled immigration levels of recent years.” However, Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said: “These proposals completely ignore the positive contribution that migrants make to life in the UK. As well as much-needed skilled workers, many come and do unskilled jobs that need to be done, but for which employers are unable to find home-grown workers.

“And if skilled migrants stay on after four years it’s because an employer wants them and because they have put down roots and are paying their taxes, national insurance and council tax. Denying migrants a stake in society isn’t a route to social cohesion – it’s divisive and wasteful of talent.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “Migration is good for employment and the economy – new migrants contributed £6 billion to the UK economy in 2006 alone.All migrants must speak English and obey the law if they want to gain citizenship.”

Times Recommends

• Should Knox’s trial even have reached the courtroom?
• All that glitters is not sold in Wright’s world
• Believe it or not, Big Brother is your friend