Nick Clegg came under fire last night for his plans to introduce an amnesty for illegal immigrants and ‘regional migration’ for migrant workers.
In the final televised Leaders’ Debate, the Liberal Democrat leader had to defend an attack from David Cameron that his amnesty plans were “profoundly misguided”.
The Conservative leader said some 600,000 people who were currently in the UK illegally would be allowed to stay and work in Britain – adding to the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers that enter the UK each year.
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Clegg responded by insisting politicians needed to “get real” about immigration to tackle the problem. He also attacked Cameron’s plans for a cap on immigration, repeatedly asking the Tory boss: “Is it right [that] 80% of people who come here, come from the European Union and your cap would make no difference whatsoever?”
Cameron, who was declared the winner of the final TV debate, did not answer the question directly.
