Boris calls for tougher controls on migrants coming to Britain
BORIS Johnson has called on the government to “get a grip” on immigration, in an apparent move away from his previous pro-migration stance.
Johnson said yesterday ministers should “blooming well sort the problem out” and put in place tougher immigration controls.
“It is really important for the country. It cannot be beyond the wit of man. We have a relatively small number of ports and airports. It should be possible to control it,” he told the Sunday Times.
He added that the “huge numbers” of illegal immigrants was “not fair on people who come here legally and are working very hard”.
As London’s mayoral candidates enter their final full week of campaigning before the election on 3 May, the Tory incumbent placed some of the blame on the previous Labour government, for its “conscious decision” to make Britain’s borders easier to cross.
The mayor had once heralded the economic benefits of immigration, holding a more liberal view than many in the Conservative party. In 2010, he wrote to home secretary Theresa May to warn that a cap on certain migrant workers would cause economic problems in London.