Ed Miliband's migration 'rhetoric' criticised by Barbara Roche

Tony Blair's former immigration minister has criticised Ed Miliband for distancing himself from Labour's record on migration by thinking it is "trendy to echo the rhetoric of Migration Watch".

Barbara Roche, co-founder of Migration Matters, warned Mr Miliband not to abandon "progressive migration policies" put forward by Labour in the last decade.

In a speech last week, the Labour leader said: "High levels of migration were having huge effects on the lives of people in Britain – and too often those in power seemed not to accept this."

But in an article for The Independent on Sunday, Ms Roche said: "There has been a remarkable reversal on this issue by some on the left. The aggressive rhetoric against 'illiberal' policies has been replaced by the accusation we let down the white working class. Suddenly, it's trendy to echo the rhetoric of Migration Watch … This is not sober analysis, it is the language of division. "