Commenting on today’s announcement by Hazel Blears on the Government’s new strategy on migration, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said:

"Given its poor record on abandoning exit checks, it’s unbelievable that the Government is now attempting to champion its migration policies.

"There needs to be a much more sophisticated approach to modelling migration, including not just migration from outside the UK but within the country as well.

"Internal migration can have a massive impact on communities, yet the Government is simply not taking this into account.

"Government policies are stoking up community tensions by labelling groups as having a potential for ‘violent extremism’, rather than giving all communities the freedom and funding to become sustainable and cohesive."