Immigration Solicitors

An election aide to Labour leader Ed Miliband has caused a backlash after using social media to announce that anti-immigration views in the UK leave him “depressed”.

Mr Miliband’s polling expert James Morris was addressing a pre-election focus group when he revealed his despondency over public anti-immigration views.

Pre-election focus groups are designed to provide feedback to the parties on how to win elections by gauging public opinion. Mr Morris allegedly dismissed the findings of the focus group as, “Fill jobs with Brits”.

A Conservative MP is accusing Mr Miliband of feeling contempt for voters’ concerns over immigration.

James Morris previously advised former New Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street. New Labour has been accused of promoting mass immigration to the UK.

In recent months there have been fresh concerns raised over the lifting of border restrictions from Bulgaria and Romania on 1 January 2014, when some fear that widespread immigration will occur and lead to an influx of workers arriving in the UK to compete with the existing workforce.

Many Romanians and Bulgarian already work in Britain, however – often in the NHS or in low-paid jobs which British workers are loathe to do, such as fruit picking or packing.

Recent research has shown that migrants to the UK are mainly educated and have contributed £25 billion to the UK economy since 2000. Migrants also take less out of the UK economy than they put in – and UK nationals, the same research found, are more like to claim benefits than migrants.

However, last Monday (02/12/13) Mr Morris announced on Twitter that he was “in for a miserable evening” as he was hosting an immigration focus group.
Mail online reports that later he added to his Twitter feed:

“Tonight’s focus groups as progressive as I hoped. Their plan: end migration and fill jobs with Brits who have to take job.”

Mr Morris added this made him “depressed”.

A Conservative MP has seized on Mr Morris’ comments, saying they show the contempt that Labour has for voters. Nadhim Zahawi MP said:

“It’s the same old Labour – anyone who doesn’t share their world view is mocked and attacked.

“This shows the contempt Labour and Ed Miliband have for the public.

“They don’t want to hear people’s views about immigration – instead they want to censor and shut down any sensible and rational debate on an extremely important subject.”

In November, the Bulgarian ambassador to the UK Konstantin Dimitrov told The Telegraph newspaper that he does not expect an increase in the number of Bulgarians leaving their own country to come and live and work in the UK after 1 January. Bulgarians currently do not require visas to come to the UK, Mr Dimitrov pointed out.

The Mail reports that a spokesman for Ed Miliband declined to respond about comments made by Labour election aide James Morris on Twitter. Mr Miliband’s own family were refugees who settled in the UK.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is one of the UK’s leading immigration solicitors and can offer advice on a wide range of legal matters concerning migration to the UK and asylum, including

• Asylum
• Benefits
• Citizenship
• Detention
• Illegal entry to the UK
• Marriage
• Right to work in the UK
• Student visas.

For expert legal advice on UK immigration and asylum contact Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.