UK voters' panel: Ayub Khan

MEET THE PANEL Name: Ayub Khan Age: 45 Lives: Batley, West Yorkshire Works: Highways enforcement officer Current voting intention: Undecided In 10 words or less: "Hard working, fair minded, family orientated, proud British Asian Muslim" Watch message

Immigration has always been a controversial issue in every election for the last 30 years and it is no different this time around.

It is an issue talked about by all, but understood by very few.

It is also an issue in which certain British people show their true colours.

Immigration is always hijacked by the party doing least well in the election, usually with outrageous remarks to stir up racial tension and play on people's fears.

Unfortunately an election is not won on just one issue.

Who is to blame for the current mess in dealing with this issue?

I have no doubt that that it is both Labour and the Tories as a result of their present and past policies.

VOTERS' PANEL: IMMIGRATION Chris Li Tonia Barton John Devenney David Jones Gerry Harris Ayub Khan

It sickens me now that these two parties are pandering to a small minority of their followers to win over cheap votes.

Immigration as far as I am concerned is not about who enters the country but what the colour of their skin is.

I accept immigration needs to be controlled, but it has to be done in a positive and sensitive manner which is beneficial to all sections of the community and the country as a whole.

The best way to do this is for an independent organisation to decide what skills shortage we have and then try to fill those initially by retraining people in this country.

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Your comments:

Exactly what evidence does Derek have for his bold assertion? Or is it just a reflection of his bigoted perception? Steve Wade - it can be seen as racist because nobody is upset that citizens of all West European EU member states are free to come here to live and work. Could that be because they are white and "more like us"? Otherwise why are people not concerned about them?
Nigel, UK

Who has been in power since 1997? When it comes to immigration the Labour Party has been totally and utterly incompetent. The way things go, the Labour party might end up blaming Benjamin Disraeli for the mess the Labour Party has created. There are almost a million people living in this country that are not registered anywhere. There are almost a million people unemployed. If they had the guts to put the house in order, we would have full employment in this country.
Carlos Cortiglia, London, United Kingdom

Thank God for economic migrants. Thanks to my Portuguese gardener and Polish builders I now have an immaculate landscaped garden and a very nice driveway. They certainly worked very hard and were polite and punctual. However I don't think they were asylum seekers but if they were they should be allowed to work. In the US, it's generally acknowledged that illegals from Latin America provide labour for everything from housekeeping to gardening; why do we have to be different ?
Hetal Patel, Pinner, UK

I am no Labour supporter but I do dislike seeing rhetoric presented as facts. So let me ask 'Derek, UK' how does he know that illegal immigration has skyrocketed? No one, as Blair admitted, knows exactly what the state is of illegal immigration. There has been a systematic failure to address this side of immigration over the years. However, it is a misrepresentation to assume that it has skyrocketed. You have no evidence to back up this comment. It is time for facts as opposed to assumptions otherwise the arguments do not progress, they stagnate.
Charles, Bristol

Derek, unfortunately no-one knows whether illegal immigration has "skyrocketed", because it is illegal and therefore unrecorded! Perhaps you mean Australian backpackers overstaying their visas, or perhaps failed asylum seekers? In addition Ayub rightly points out that over the last 30 years both the Tories and Labour have failed in their policies - not just Labour.
Mandeep Singh, Blackburn, UK

From the office for national statistics website, "In 2003 the UK was home to 59.6 million people. This was an 18 per cent increase from 50.3 million in 1951, and a 3.2 per cent increase over the last decade (1993 to 2003). Until the mid-1990s, this growth was mainly due to natural increase as the number of births exceeded the number of deaths. Since the late 1990s, there has still been natural increase but net international migration into the UK from abroad has been an increasingly important factor in population growth." With a population density that is already exceedingly high, immigration being the largest contributory factor to its current increase, and no land borders making immigration theoretically easier to control, I see it as a logical issue to tackle. It is NOT a racist issue.
Ian White, London

I also find Howard very irritating. I think Labour's approach to the matter is very reasonable.
Phelim Brady, Guildford, UK

Simple question to Mr Khan: What has Mr Howard said that suggests that any immigration policy implemented by the Conservatives will be dependent on the colour of peoples' skin? Where is this? This is said continually, but no one ever justifies it.
Steve Wade, Bedford

Wow what a confused issue - Ayub's comment: "It is an issue talked about by all, but understood by very few" is perhaps the most perceptive thing I've heard anyone say about immigration. The situation is confused because you have so many people talking about several different things: quota-based immigration, naturalisation through marriage, right to abode, gypsies and planning permission, legal East European immigration, etc, etc, etc - let's work out what we are talking about before we all start talking.
Bob, London, UK

I find Mr Howard detestable at times with his approach to immigration. We the immigrant community are trying to figure out where exactly he belongs, considering that his family are not of British origin, yet he aims to shut the very door that has afforded him the life and opportunities he has been given. Mr Howard may resign as leader of the opposition on 6 May, but he will have sowed the seeds of distrust for immigrants for the next generation of voters.
Raymond Murisa, London, UK

I'd just like to point out that since 1997 illegal immigration has skyrocketed. No doubt Mr Khan can blame that on the Tories, but most of us are tired of hearing the same old 'it was the Tories' fault' refrain from a party that's been in power for the last eight years.
Derek, UK