Immigration no longer 'racist' subject for Brown

London: Prime Minister Gordon Brown has staged a major Labour U-turn over immigration by insisting it was "not racist" to discuss the issue.

In his first speech on the subject for two years, Brown said he had "never agreed with the lazy elitism political correspondent that dismisses immigration as an issue, or portrays anyone who has concerns about immigration as a racist."

He added: "Immigration is not an issue for fringe parties, nor a taboo subject — it is a question to be dealt with at the heart of our politics, a question about what it means to be British."

Brown unveiled a series of measures to control the flow of immigrants. He said they would ensure Britain's population stayed below the 70 million predicted by official figures for 2029.

He announced a review of student visas to clamp down on those applying to study in the UK with the intention of working here illegally.

The review, which will report next month, will consider whether visas should be granted only to foreign students on degree and postgraduconcernate courses and stopped for those attending short, low-level courses.

Brown also announced plans for a reduction in the number of posts on the government's list of occupations for which Britain needs to recruit from abroad. He said hospital consultants, civil engineers, aircraft engineers and ship's officers are being removed.

The list will be narrowed further in the coming year, with officials considering removing more engineering roles, skilled chefs and care workers.

The length of time employers will have to advertise jobs in Britain before recruiting from abroad will be extended from two weeks to four.

Brown said this would be coupled with an increase in training opportunities for British workers.