LABOUR chairman Hazel Blears has been accused of stereotyping immigrants after suggesting the public associated them with anti-social behaviour.
She expressed concern that people in her Salford constituency were 'worried' about changes in the community.
The deputy Labour leadership hopeful said: "We have got areas in Salford where private landlords are letting properties with 10 and 12 people in there.
"Now, the community doesn't object to the people - they object to the exploitation and the fact that that leads to people being on the street drinking and anti-social behaviour.
"They don't object to the people being there but they object if they are undercutting wages and not getting the national minimum wage and they are not abiding by health and safety, so you have got to enforce the law."
However, Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said she was stereotyping immigrants and blamed her for the public's concerns.
He said: "It is wholly irresponsible for ministers to stereotype any group in society.
"If anybody is responsible for the concerns about immigration - on housing, education or indeed community relations - it is a government that, while Hazel Blears was a Home Office Minister, allowed 600,000 immigrants to enter the country in one year."
Mr Davis also wrote to prime minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown asking him to clarify his position on immigration.
He said he was concerned by a speech the chancellor made last week about training up 'British workers for the British jobs'.
Mr Davis said: "It augurs badly for any idea of responsible government when both the would-be prime minister and would-be deputy leader of the Labour Party seem perfectly happy to use ultra-sensitive subjects for short-term political ends."
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Here she goes again putting her foot in it. Does Hazel Blears know anything about Salford?
The immigrants coming into the city actualy want to work and keep themselves to themselves which is a lot more than can be said of Mrs Blears native constituents, many of which are on the dole and who's children . In Broughton over the weekend a large group of around 30 youths continued (as they do each weekend) to drink in the street, smash up cars and home, shout abuse, set fire to property and make Salford a living nightmare - these are not immigrants, these are native Salfordians - wake up and smell the burning Wheelie Bins Blears!
She's been very vocal over the last few months hasn't she ? Surely, not just a coincidence with the Deputy Leadership up for grabs is it ? (**rolls eyes**)
Hazel ... the line "they object to the exploitation and the fact that that leads to people being on the street drinking and anti-social behaviour." made me chuckle.
There are hundreds, nay thousands of your native parishoners well versed in street drinking and anti-social behaviour.They've been doing it for years. Any such behaviour by immigrants could be excused as their attempt to integrate.
I think you need to get out more in your constituency.
How does putting 10-12 people together in one property lead to them being on the street drinking? Sure there are plenty of people on the street drinking, but I'm yet to see any immigrants among them (unless they have been trained to say "Here'ya mate" like a native).