Brown pledges fair immigration system

A re-elected Labour government will deliver a "controlled and fair" immigration system flexible enough to meet the needs of British business, according to Gordon Brown.

In a speech in Shoreditch, east London, the Prime Minister acknowledged that immigration is a subject that voters should be debating, and with an upcoming general election he said that it is right for politicians to address the public's concerns.

The PM also called on all mainstream parties to present "a united front" against those who seek to bring a halt to immigration simply because of their animosity towards migrants.

He said: "No mainstream party wants to bring an end to immigration altogether. The debate is over how to control it.

"I know how people worry that immigration might be changing their neighbourhoods... In the centre ground of British politics we have a duty to listen."