Today is, according to the party’s own institutional memory, the first time Labour has talked about immigration in a party political broadcast. As I blogged yesterday, the party struggles to raise its voice when this policy area is debated in parliament because of the mistakes ministers made on migration when in government. Ed Miliband knows this, and so tonight television audiences across England will be treated to this party political broadcast:
The first thing that’s clear, aside from the emotional backing music that would be more at home on an animal rescue programme, is that this isn’t about announcing big new policies. Miliband announced all of these ideas on English lessons, tougher restrictions and a focus on skills for those competing with migrants back in December. Back then he said that the Labour government had got things wrong on immigration, and today he says ‘one of the things we didn’t get right was immigration, and that’s why I’ve got a new approach’ and ‘we were wrong in the past when we dismissed people’s concerns’.
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