Gordon Brown to Promise Reduced Immigration as Labour Seeks to Gain Ground on Key Issue

Gordon Brown is set to address the contentious issue of immigration, promising to reduce the number of unskilled workers entering Britain from outside the EU. The prime minister will also emphasize the importance of creating new skilled workers, aiming to reach a million in the next five years. Brown's speech is part of Labour's effort to frame the debate on immigration and avoid accusations of being out of touch with voter concerns.

Key Takeaways:

• Brown promises to ban unskilled workers from entering Britain from outside the EU for the foreseeable future.
• Labour aims to create one million new skilled workers in the next five years to reduce the need for skilled migrants.
• The UK Commission for Employment and Skills estimates there are only 60,000 skill shortages in the UK, mostly in health and social care.
• Labour argues its flexible points system can act as a more intelligent cap on skilled workers entering Britain.
• The party plans to cite key employers opposing the Tory policy on an annual cap, fearing it will damage their tradeability.
• Brown will point to reforms that will see the number of students entering the country fall by 40,000.

Statistics:

• Labour trails the Tories by 39 points on the issue of immigration, according to a recent YouGov poll (Source: YouGov poll).
• The Tory policy of an annual cap on migrants from outside the EU is popular with voters, although its level has not been specified (Source: Not specified).
• The number of students entering the UK will fall by 40,000 due to Labour's reforms (Source: Not specified).
• There are only 60,000 skill shortages in the UK, according to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (Source: UK Commission for Employment and Skills).

Sources:

• YouGov poll
• UK Commission for Employment and Skills
• IPPR thinktank (mentioned, but not directly cited with a date)
• Not specified (for sources not explicitly mentioned in the original text)