Jeremy Corbyn says Tories have 'fanned flames of fear' on immigration
The Labour leader is branded "out of touch" by Tory opponents as he rejects calls to commit to net migration targets.
Saturday 19 November 2016 14:01, UK
The Conservatives have "fanned the flames of fear over immigration", Jeremy Corbyn has claimed, "egged on by their UKIP sidekicks".
The strongly worded attack by the Labour leader came as he sought to pitch his party as an alternative to what he described as far right views "now being presented as part of the mainstream".
In doing so he took a sideswipe at the "fake anti-elitism" of interim UKIP leader Nigel Farage and US President-elect Donald Trump, which he described as "farcical" but "no joke".
Mr Corbyn also admitted Labour "became too complacent" in power, which had fuelled voter disillusionment.
In a speech to the party's national policy forum in Loughborough, Leicestershire, Mr Corbyn said: "Politicians and political parties have a choice in this age of understandable cynicism.
"Do we play on people's fears and anxieties? Or do we take what might be the more difficult approach: to restore hope?
"We can see the choice taken by politicians on the hard right - to whip up division against migrants, Muslims, Mexicans, women, LGBT people, people with disabilities.
"The fake anti-elitism of rich white men like Nigel Farage and Donald Trump. It's farcical at one level, but in reality it's no joke at all.
"We've seen a similar phenomenon in the US since last week's presidential election as we saw after Brexit: an appalling rise in hate crime. Saying anything to win a vote has consequences on the ground afterwards."
Mr Corbyn added: "So it is down to Labour to restore hope - and give people the chance to take back real control."
In his address to activists, Mr Corbyn also rejected calls by some in his party to commit to net migration targets arguing he would not "make false promises" like the Tories.
He attacked the Conservatives, who he claimed had "fanned the flames of fear over immigration, whipping up hatred in the referendum campaign - egged on by their UKIP sidekicks".
He added: "It is this culture in which rising levels of hate crime have occurred; far-right views are now being presented as part of the mainstream, egged on by sections of the media that publish the most hateful and dishonest bile on a routine basis."
But responding to Mr Corbyn's speech, Tory MP Nusrat Ghani, who sits on the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said: "Labour could not be more out of touch with the British people if they tried.
"Jeremy Corbyn has said in the past that he is not concerned about reducing immigration - and today he is attacking voters who want immigration to be controlled.
"Only the Conservative Party can deliver the right deal for Britain as we leave the EU - and that must mean controls on the number of people that come to our country."