Labour's immigration policy will drive voters to Ukip, says party's Welsh leader

Carwyn Jones said the party leadership's continued support of free movement reflected 'the views of one, large unusual city'

Carwyn Jones said priority in the Brexit negotiations must be maximum access to the single market (AFP/Getty)

The Labour Party’s leader in Wales says Jeremy Corbyn’s policies on immigration will drive Labour voters to Ukip.

Both Mr Corbyn and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott have argued in favour of free movement of people provided by the EU.

“The danger is that’s a very London-centric position. That is not the way people see it outside London. London is very different: it is a cosmopolitan city and has high levels of immigration. It has that history. It is not the way many other parts of the UK are,” Carwyn Jones said.

“People see it very differently in Labour-supporting areas of the north of England, for example. We have to be very careful that we don’t drive our supporters into the arms of Ukip. When I was on the doorstep in June, a lot of people said: “We’re voting out, Mr Jones, but, don’t worry, we’re still Labour.' What I don’t want is for those people to jump to voting Ukip.”

Labour fell from second to fourth in the by-election in Sleaford and Hykeham on Thursday, having lost their deposit in Richmond Park last week. The party’s share of the vote fell by 7 per cent.

Mr Jones told The Guardian that the party’s policy, “Does not reflect the UK. It reflects one unusual, large city in the UK. We have to make sure there are more authentic voices around the UK within the party who people feel are addressing them in their own language and using their own accents.”

He said the priority in the Brexit negotiations must be to secure maximum access to the European single market, and one option would be to insist on people only having the right to come to the UK once they had an offer of employment.