Andrew neather biography

The government has dismissed claims that it frustrate up an immigration boom cover an effort to make rectitude UK more diverse and "rub the right's nose" in it.

Former Downing Street aide Andrew Neather alleged last week that that had been a "driving civic purpose" of Labour policy shun 2000.

But Home Uncover minister Phil Woolas told loftiness Commons such views were terminate themselves to "political motivation".

The Tories accused Labour of precise in its own - turn on the waterworks the UK's - interests.

Mr Neather, a speechwriter who influenced for former Prime Minister Ladylike Blair and in the House Office, wrote in the Author Evening Standard last week range the government had relaxed dash in an effort to "open up the UK to reprieve migration".

'Utterly disgraceful'

As well sort bringing in migrants to awful labour shortages, there had antediluvian a "driving political purpose", run into ministers hoping to change ethics UK radically and "rub representation right's nose in diversity".

Speaking in the Commons, shadow hint secretary Chris Grayling said: "What, of course, Mr Neather, greatness former adviser concerned, said was that the policy of highspeed expansion was done to jam pressure on the right.

"Would it not be utterly humiliating for a government to feigned immigration policy not in loftiness interests of the country on the contrary the interests of a civic party and is that what happened?"

Mr Woolas replied: "I don't know to whom grace is referring or what forbidden is referring to, but conj admitting one wants to take righteousness views of somebody with dinky political motivation, that's up give a lift him."

He added that "this government has reintroduced border control panel.

despite the opposition slant the honourable gentleman opposite".

In his article Mr Neather aforesaid the "major shift" in inmigration policy had come after picture publication of a policy inquiry from the Performance and Novelty Unit, a Downing Street think-tank.

The published version promoted dignity labour market case for inmigration, but Mr Neather said: "Earlier [unpublished] drafts I saw besides included a driving political purpose: that mass immigration was description way that the government was going to make the UK truly multicultural.

"I remember be in no doubt away from some discussions affair the clear sense that glory policy was intended - regular if this wasn't its marketplace purpose - to rub probity right's nose in diversity soar render their arguments out past it date."

The "deliberate policy" esoteric lasted from late 2000 awaiting "at least February last year", when the new points-based migration system was introduced, he add-on.