Brown: Labour 'rooted in day-to-day concerns'

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said his party's policies are "rooted in the day-to-day concerns" of the British people.

Launching Labour's General Election manifesto in Birmingham, Mr Brown said it presents a "realistic and radical" plan to steer the country towards economic recovery.

It included a promise not to raise the basic, higher or top rates of income tax.

All public sector migrant workers will have to pass English language tests under measures announced by Mr Brown in Labour’s manifesto today.

The manifesto extends testing for English language competency to cover all jobs which involve contact with the public – such as nurses, community support officers, social workers and call centre staff.

At present, the requirement covers only doctors from outside Europe, police officers and teachers.

Existing tests will also be made more difficult.

“We know that migrants who are fluent in English are more likely to work and find it easier to integrate,” the manifesto stated.

“So as well as making our English test harder, we will ensure it is taken by all applicants before they arrive,” it said. “Local councils and other public services should keep funding for translation services to a minimum.”

Highlighting the minimum standard of English which is already expected from many public sector workers, Mr Brown said: “We will build on this to ensure that all employees who have contact with the public have an appropriate level of English language competence.”

Labour is understood to have picked up concerns among voters over having to deal with public sector workers who cannot speak good English – particularly care home workers looking after elderly residents.

There was an outcry last year when a German doctor who could not speak English killed a patient with a massive overdose during his first out-of-hours shift for the NHS.

Reports have quoted a senior party source as saying: “Some public sector workers in public-facing roles are not proficient in English – including in areas where guidance already exists that they should be.

“We need to change that.”

In the manifesto, Mr Brown also recognised the pressures placed on housing and public services by immigration.

“Because we believe coming to Britain is a privilege and not a right, we will break the automatic link between staying here for a set period and being able to settle of gain citizenship,” he said.

“In future, staying will be dependent on the points-based system and access to benefits and housing will increasingly be reserved for British citizens and permanent residents – saving the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds each year.”

Meanwhile, he promised more EU and other foreign prisoners would be transferred abroad and pledged to reduce the number of women, young and mentally ill people in prison.

And he said response times in relation to anti-social behaviour would be stepped-up, adding: “We will guarantee an initial response to any complaint within 24 hours.”

The supervision of prolific young offenders would also be increased when they come out of prison, he said, with the expansion of “joint working between police and the probation service” and the use of mentors, including “vetted ex-prisoners” to meet offenders “at the gate” so they do not fall back into crime.