THE Conservatives’ tough new stance on compulsory health checks for immigrants unravelled yesterday after it emerged that the party’s health spokesman had described mandatory testing as unethical.

Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Secretary, told a seminar last summer that compulsory health checks on people seeking to work in Britain were also unnecessary and predicted that they would not become party policy.

News of an apparent Shadow Cabinet split over the issue came on the eve of the launch of the Conservatives’ health manifesto, when Mr Lansley is due to share a platform with Michael Howard to unveil the document. At the seminar, hosted by the Social Market Foundation think-tank last July, Mr Lansley was asked specifically what his position was on mandatory testing.

“In my personal view, and I think it will be our view when we come to publish these things, it is unethical, apart from anything else . . . it is unethical to enforce testing on individuals. I think it is also unnecessary,” he said.

Mr Lansley, a Tory moderniser, said that access to health services should be offered after the right to enter the UK for asylum or work had been established.

“I think, in practice, if you arrive at the point where people have their right to enter the UK established, whether it’s for asylum purposes or for work purposes or for immigration purposes, at the point of which you make it clear to them that that has been established, without regard to their health status, and offer them appropriate health testing and access to health services, at that point and I think the evidence suggests that probably about 80 per cent or more will take up that offer and see it as not a threat,” he said.

A Conservative spokesman said yesterday that Mr Lansley had largely been talking about asylum-seekers, who would not be subjected to health checks under the new policy.

Labour pounced on the revelation and accused the Tories of “flailing around” on the issue of immigration.

“The Tories’ tough talk on immigration and asylum is fatally undermined by their plans to halve the budget for immigration control and their refusal to support ID cards that stop ‘health tourism’, ” Alan Milburn, Labour’s election co-ordinator, said.

Labour is eager to pick holes in the Conservatives’ strong pitch on immigration. It is the only key election issue where the Tories have a clear lead over the Government. Fears that Mr Howard would capitalise on Labour’s perceived weakness prompted Tony Blair to add a sixth promise, on border security, when he announced Labour’s pledge card last week.

Yesterday Labour tries to get back on the front foot on immigration by pointing out that parts of its recently published five-year plan would mean that people applying for work visas from high-risk countries would be screened for tuberculosis.

Under the Tory plan people coming to the UK for longer than a year would be required to have a full medical examination, usually including an overall health check and X-rays to test for TB, as well as tests for hepatitis and HIV for over-16s.

The tests would not apply to those coming for less than six months, nor to asylum-seekers.

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