Migration has hurt my family, admits Phil Woolas
Immigration minister Phil Woolas has admitted that his own children have "suffered" from the impact of migration.
The Labour MP, whose constituency is in Oldham, Lancashire, made the statement in a BBC2 Newsnight special when confronted by an East Anglian unemployed man over the impact of immigration on local communities and services.
"We recognise that. My own family... children have suffered from that," he said.
Mr Woolas has a London home in Chiswick, but also a constituency home in Lancashire. Both have large immigrant populations.
It was unclear if Mr Woolas was referring to his children's class sizes, pressure on school places, extra language tuition or some other difficulty.
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: "The biggest impact from immigration in recent years has been on public services.
"It seems extraordinary to have the immigration minister now admitting that — and from his own experience — but yet still defending the policy that caused the problems in the first place."
