Tories will cut immigration to avoid population of 70m

A Conservative government would curb immigration to stop the population of the United Kingdom reaching the forecast 70 million, David Cameron said yesterday.

"I don't support our population going to 70 million," the Tory leader told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC 1. He said net migration to the UK each year should be limited to "tens of thousands" rather than "hundreds of thousands", adding: "In the last decade, net immigration in some years has been sort of 200,000 – implying a 2 million increase over a decade, which I think is too much."

Mr Cameron insisted: "I'm in favour of immigration, we've benefited from immigration, but I think the pressures, particularly on our public services, have been very great."

The Tories have pledged to impose an annual cap on the number of people coming to the UK from outside the European Union but have not disclosed the figure. The number of people migrating to the UK minus those emigrating was 237,000 in 2007 and 163,000 in 2008. Mr Cameron's remarks will be welcomed by Tory MPs who fear his reluctance to speak about immigration has helped the British National Party.

The Labour MP Frank Field and Tory MP Nicholas Soames, who are campaigning for tighter immigration controls, welcomed his statement: "We hope that both parties carry manifesto commitments in this year's general election to keep our population below 70 million."

The Tory leader said the insolvency threshold at which firms could be wound up for not paying taxes would be lifted from £750 to £5,000. The Tories would end restrictions imposed by many councils and housing associations which prevent tenants from running businesses from their homes.

*The Tories admitted making an "administrative error" over donations of £40,000 from a company called Unicorn Administration on behalf of several backers including Zac Goldsmith, now the party's candidate for Richmond Park. They promised an inquiry.