Jonathan Oliver Political Editor
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The new immigration minister has hinted that Labour may take the political risk of adopting a “balanced migration” policy to restrict population growth in Britain.
In his first interview since being given the job yesterday, Phil Woolas vowed to toughen the current legislation, claiming that it was vital to “provide confidence to the indigenous population that migration is under control”.
Woolas expressed sympathy with a campaign led by Frank Field, the Labour rebel, who has called for a statutory limit on the number of foreigners allowed to settle in Britain.
“On a common sense level there has to be a limit to the population,” said Woolas. “You have to have a policy that thinks about the population implication as well as the immigration implications.”
The government is introducing an Australian-style points system. This is aimed at ensuring that high-skilled migrants are welcomed while nonEuropean Union nationals with no useful job skills are barred.
Woolas said the government should be ready to go further in limiting migration: “On the one hand is the rationale that we have got to strengthen our economy. But we have got to provide reassurance to communities that the numbers coming in are not bad for us.
“Community cohesion is crucial. After the economy, this is probably the biggest concern facing the population.”
He also signalled that there would be new restrictions on people coming from overseas to get married.
Field has argued that successive ministers have failed to consider the way immigration has boosted population levels. According to one estimate, within 50 years Britain could become the most densely populated country in the EU except Malta. England recently overtook the population density of Holland. In the long term Field wants to see a “balanced” policy with annual immigration levels directly linked to birth rates and the numbers of Britons emmigrating.
Until now Labour ministers have tended to duck any discussions of “population policy”, preferring to empha-sise the economic benefits of “controlled migration”.
Woolas’s appointment in the ministerial reshuffle heralds a change in direction.

Sam Coates's blog about Westminster, politics and spin
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It's yet another Westminster "scheme" to keep tabs on people and round up all the little bits of information they need on people to establish a Big Brother state.
Unless they leave all the information on a train...
Andrew Cuthbert , Elgin, Scotland
Labour hot air, they have a very poor record on managing immigration into this country. Don't tell me the ID card scheme is going stop all this.
steve tea, manchester, cheshire
Doh!!! we all know it needs to be controlled but please let us face up to the fact that the population explosion is not from non eu immigration, it is form within the eu that vast numbers have come. LABOUR ANY ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT WHILST WE ARE DICTATED TO BY THE EU!!!!!
BASHA, BIRMNGHAM, UK
Ah yet another "may" statement from a Government minister.
Be careful the anger felt by many on this matter may prove your undoing on both sides of the commons.
Dave, Chorley,
Bolted horses and closed doors
Paddy H, Edinburgh,
What, and deny access to the only people that will vote for them in the forthcoming elections? I doubt it.
Garley, London, UK
Our ancesters did not die in two world wars in order to hand our once wonderfull country over a few years later. No point in playing musical chairs with these parties any more. We will be voting for a the one party that would pull out of the EU, and then stop all further immigration. This is Urgent
sylvie, Ilford., England
immigrants already here will outbreed the native British within a generation or two, condemning the natives to second class citizenship Keith Bentham, wigan, uk when do we immigrants become native british? my family been here for a thousand years but we are not native.
Graham Bromley, Rotherham, england
Too little too late. New Labour have zero credibility in this.
Their failure to maintain border control is the number one reason for their spectacular unpopularity. The historians will judge them, unfavourably.
frank, swindon, uk
"Just another idea that they will have pinched from the Tories"
What good are the Tories same monster, Time for real change.
russ, Cheshunt, GB
How do you know when a politician is lying?
When they TALK about controlling immmigration.
Immigration allows politicians to import a social revolution, while at the same time big business gets cheap labour. Past and present (and future) governments have all allowed immigration.
peter, Birmingham,
Capping immigrration isn't even up for discussion.!
The issue is how we can repatriate the millions of asylum seekers and illegals -I suggest recruiting the Neaoplitian mafia -you know it makes sense.
Gallous George, London, England
It doesn't matter if immigration is now zero. The immigrants already here will outbreed the native British within a generation or two, condemning the natives to second class citizenship. Forced Islamic conversion and the powerless existence of a futureless minority.
Keith Bentham, wigan, uk
Could this be anything to do with the expected big gains for the BNP coming in next June's local and Euro elections? And would you trust the Labour Party with the country's immigration policy? I wouldn't trust them with the economy - which was supposed to 'benefit' from immigration remember.....
Paul Williams, London, England
"....political risk..." What political risk?
Veronica, Manchester,
Is it me or is this just a little too late?
Keith, Beaconsfield,
Just another idea that they will have pinched from the Tories.
Kim, Bristol,