Mark Reckless sparks immigration row on eve of Rochester byelection

The last day of campaigning in the Rochester and Strood byelection has exploded into a huge row about immigration, as Ukip’s candidate was accused of using the language of forced repatriation and the Conservatives of campaigning like the British National party.

The controversy began when Mark Reckless, the former Tory MP whose defection to Ukip triggered the byelection, suggested that a Polish plumber might only be allowed to stay for a fixed period if the UK left the European Union.

His remarks were soon afterwards disowned by Ukip, which said it was not the party’s policy to round up migrants and put them on a boat at Dover.

Reckless then furiously hit back, saying his words had been twisted and all EU migrants would be allowed to stay with a work permit.

He also accused the Conservatives of campaigning like the “BNP-lite” because one of their leaflets suggests people feel unsafe on the streets because of immigration.

Speaking on BBC Radio Kent, he then pointed out a council running-mate of the Tory candidate, Kelly Tolhurst, had a statement on his website talking about immigration saying: “It is white, working-class Britons who have suffered the most. Now it is only the British National party who represents them.”

The Conservatives reacted with fury, accusing Reckless “and his minions” of lying about the council candidate, Ron Sands. In the full quote, from his Facebook page five years ago, Sands is opposing and dissociating himself from the BNP, the party said. The Tories also argued Tolhurst’s statements about controlling immigration and people feeling safe on the streets were completely separate.

Speaking also on BBC Radio Kent, Tolhurst said: “It does disappoint me somewhat that Mark Reckless has chosen to lie on radio this morning about what I have said. What more can I say really? He’s the one that’s been very iffy and about his role and what he would like to do about immigration.”

Reckless made the comments when he was challenged to spell out what would happen to a Polish plumber if Ukip had its way on Britain leaving the EU.

“I think in the near term we’d have to have a transitional period, and I think we should probably allow people who are currently here to have a work permit at least for a fixed period,” he said.

Asked again whether this would mean a Polish plumber and his family could be deported, Reckless said: “People who have been here a long time and integrated in that way I think we’d want to look sympathetically at.”

He went on to stress that Ukip’s focus was on how to control numbers of new migrants and creating a system that did not discriminate in favour of EU migrants against non-EU migrants.

His remarks were challenged by the Labour candidate, Naushabah Khan, who is herself the daughter of immigrants.

“Where would you stop, Mark? My family are migrants. Are we going to say they need to go back as well?” she said during the ITV hustings, which was aired on local news on Tuesday night.

Despite his claims that his words were twisted and Ukip’s disavowal of the policy, MPs from the other parties seized on the comments.

Damian Green, a Conservative MP and former Home Office minister, said the remarks were suggesting a policy “perilously close to repatriation”.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary said: “To hear the language of repatriation coming from someone they [Ukip] hope will be their second MP is shameful.

“It’s a policy that comes straight out of the last BNP manifesto and does not reflect British values.”

Ukip sources said Reckless had been wrongfooted in the debate and misunderstood the premise of the question, as Ukip would not ask any EU migrants who were in the country legally to leave.

“Ukip’s position on migration is entirely clear,” a Ukip spokesman said. “We need to sort out our borders, and we cannot do so whilst we remain in the European Union. Those who are in this country lawfully, such as those from EU nations would have the right to remain. Those who are here illegally would have to apply for work permits.”

The issue of immigration continues to dominate the campaign in Rochester and Strood, along with the NHS and local primary schools, before the vote on Thursday.

It emerged on Wednesday that David Cameron had been berated by his own candidate, Tolhurst, over the “hurt” caused by immigration to her area and the need for “action, not just talk” on controlling the number of new arrivals.

In a leaflet distributed to voters, the 36-year-old businesswoman standing for the Tories wrote how she would go straight to the prime minister and “demand something is done” if she won the byelection.

Tolhurst is currently lagging behind the favourite, Reckless.

The officially approved flyer, headlined Kelly Talks, appears to be an attempt by the Conservatives to portray their candidate as someone with Ukip-style views on immigration who takes a tougher line than her party and Cameron himself.

“I wanted to bring the prime minister to this constituency to show him that uncontrolled immigration has hurt this area. I told him we need action, not just talk.”

Another Conservative leaflet appears to link immigration and fear of crime.

It says: “Most people I know here have worked hard all their lives, played by the rules and paid their fair share, but we sometimes struggle to access the services we need because of uncontrolled immigration. Others don’t feel safe walking down the high street of our town.”

The polls and bookmakers suggest Reckless is the clear favourite to win on Thursday, despite Cameron promising to throw the kitchen sink at the seat. Conservative MPs have been told to make at least three visits, although some have made only fleeting appearances.

The prime minister on Tuesday made his fifth visit to the north Kent constituency, stressing four times that Tolhurst was a “strong local candidate” and warning that a vote for Ukip would take the country a step closer to the “instability, insecurity and the danger of Ed Miliband” in Downing Street.

The Tories are braced for the possibility of more defections if Reckless wins, especially given that any switchers would probably not have to fight a byelection this close to next May.

Asked what he would say to any Conservative MP planning to defect to Ukip, Cameron said this would be “entirely counter-productive” as only he could deliver an EU referendum.