HomeBlogs & ViewsBirmingham Mail ColumnistsJon Walker
Home truths from Liam
Apr 2 2008 By Jon Walker
A REPORT by the House of Lords warns that immigration does not bring economic benefits to existing residents, and can help create a housing shortage.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne (Lab Hodge Hill) is called upon to respond.
One might expect him to rubbish the findings. Instead, he insists that he agrees with a lot of what the report says -and points out that he was actually saying these things first.
Mr Byrne is highly regarded by most of his colleagues, who see him as an asset to the government. But his comments also illustrate why he is becoming something of a hate-figure for the old Labour left, who don't think a Labour minister should say such things about immigration.
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