Hard-Left MP: Fear of open borders is racist

BRITONS who oppose the free movement of migrants are driven by racism, a former Labour frontbencher claimed last night.

Hard-Left MP Clive Lewis, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s closest allies when he first became leader, said Britain should leave its borders open when it leaves the EU.

Speaking from the party’s conference in Brighton, he told Sky News: ‘I actually believe in freedom of movement.

‘You are talking about managing migration. You are not going to like to hear this: it always comes back down to something the Left in this country has very much difficulty with, which is that it is ultimately about racism. It comes down to racism.’

The former shadow defence secretary clashed with Caroline Flint, a strong remain supporter, who told Mr Lewis he did not ‘respect the will of the people’. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, whose parents came to Britain from Pakistan in 1961, added last night: ‘There’s nothing racist about managed migration.’

Mr Lewis’s comments came as Mr Corbyn said he still wants ‘a lot of people’ from abroad to work in Britain after Brexit.

The Labour leader said he understood demands from party members for freedom of movement to end as he called for the UK to continue to allow arrivals. He said: ‘I understand the points they’re making and I understand the importance of workers moving from one place to the other. ‘What I also understand is that there is an abuse of free movement by some employers who have grotesquely exploited some very low paid workers. That has to stop.

‘But, we have to recognise that in the future we’re going to need people to work in Europe and people from Europe are going to need work here. There’s going to be a lot of movement.’ Mr Corbyn added: ‘Inside of Europe a lot of people are going to come and work here and a lot of people in Britain are going to work there. There has to be an agreement on it and how it’s achieved.

‘Go to any Airbus office, go to any rolls-royce place, go to any of those places, there are engineers coming from Europe on a daily basis and going back. All of that happens all the time. You can’t stop that and you shouldn’t stop that.’

Meanwhile, Wirral South MP Alison McGovern insisted there was no North-South divide over opposition to immigration.

She told a conference fringe event: ‘ We are told the Tory party is divided ideologically on Europe and the Labour Party is divided geographically – that somehow our southern voters... are very pro-immigration and they think it’s fine, whereas up in the grim, northern wastelands we can’t stand foreigners. Well, that is a lie.’

The shadow home secretary Diane Abbott received a standing ovation as she told delegates in Brighton that the Tories have ‘weaponised’ immigration and have been ‘ prepared to pander to anti-immigration sentiment’.

She said Mr Corbyn would ‘never scapegoat immigrants’.

‘You’re not going to like this’