Limit on immigrants a sop to the white working classes

Gordon Brown will be open to accusations of playing the immigration card tomorrow if he goes ahead with Home Office plans to announce the points system for limiting immigrants into Britain. Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, has pencilled in Tuesday to launch the points-based Australian-style system which will judge immigrants from outside the EU according to their economic value to Britain.

Apart from the alleged flaws in the system, the timing is crass. It was planned weeks ago, but going ahead now will make Brown look like he is panicking in his efforts to woo the white working classes who elected a BNP leader to the Greater London Authority and deserted Labour in droves in the local elections.

It will also add fuel to the smouldering civil war in Labour's ranks. John McDonnell's left-wing Campaign Group - which, as the Mole reported on Friday, is intent on pushing Brown into a change of direction - has issued its shopping list of demands. It includes giving councils the money to build 1.5 million houses for rent, a fair taxation system which takes the poor out of paying tax altogether, increases in the state pension, child benefit and the minimum wage, the return of state control over a publicly-owned railway, higher investment in public transport and renewables, and recognition of agency workers' rights.

That hardly chimes with the briefing from Downing Street of what Brown intends to do to win back the middle-class voters of the south: scrapping the bin tax, stopping the October rise in fuel duty, and abandoning priority for green taxes and Africa.

Tomorrow the hopelessly woolly deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman is due to speak at the weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party and she could have a riot on her hands. The Mole wonders whether Gordon will elbow her aside to show the party he 'shares their pain'. If he does, it will be the second time in a fortnight he has stepped in. But leaving Hapless Harman to handle the hordes will be like sending in a rabbit to quell the dogs.

Frank Field, the troublesome backbencher who spotted the emperor had no clothes by opposing his plan to abolish the 10 per cent tax band, is threatening to block the Budget tomorrow by tabling another amendment demanding details of the compensation for the 5.3 million losers from the tax change.

Meanwhile, over at City Hall, Boris said that Ken's team were shredding their papers at the weekend. Boris's new friends in the Met should take a close look at the computers they leave behind.

And it is going to be entertaining seeing Tessa Jowell eating her words. She is Brown's 'Olympics Minister' who has to work with Boris to make 2012 a success. Backing Ken Livingstone during the mayoral campaign, she said Boris would be a "disaster" for London. In fact, she turned out to be the disaster for Ken. How long before Jowell is given the red card by Brown?

THE MOLE: ELECTION FALLOUT

FIRST POSTED MAY 5, 2008