TORIES TO ACT TOUGH ON BORDER CONTROLS AND CRIME

A CONSERVATIVE government would place strict limits on immigration,
David Davis pledged yesterday as he set out a hard-line approach to
crime and would-be immigrants.

In a move designed to shore up the party's core vote and woo UKIP
supporters, the shadow home secretary unveiled a host of measures to
expand prisons, extend sentences, and reduce the number of immigrants
allowed into Britain.

Despite the Scottish Executive's efforts to attract foreign workers to
Scotland through the Fresh Talent initiative, the Scottish Tories said
they would support UK-wide plans to limit immigration.

"It's Scotland's challenge to attract people to Scotland," Peter
Duncan MP, Scottish spokesman said. "We are not going to run
immigration policy for parts of the UK."

Mr Davis told the Conservative party conference in Bournemouth: "A
Conservative government will substantially cut immigration into Britain.

"Extremist political parties are hoping to batten on the fears and
resentments that already exist. So the next Conservative government
will act. We will tightly control immigration because the country
requires it."

Mr Davis said embarkation controls would be reintroduced so that
applicants would be physically checked in and out.

There would be a "clear annual limit to the level of total
immigration". "It will be a central issue at the next election," Mr
Davis said.

The shadow home secretary also vowed to crack down on the scourge of
hard drugs.

Accusing the government of ignoring the escalating problem, he pledged
to step up random drugs tests in schools in an effort to tackle addiction.

Scottish schools would also be allowed to introduce random drug tests
if parents and teachers supported the move.

Mr Duncan, Scotland's sole Tory MP, said: "Those Scottish schools that
wish to bring this in would be able to do so."

In his keynote conference speech, Mr Davis said that young people had
to be shown that drugs were "stupid, illegal and dangerous".

A tenfold expansion of rehab places would allow criminals with drug
addictions to be forced to choose between treatment or jail, he promised.

Mr Davis stated his belief that the "deadly and serious threat" of
drugs was ruining lives across the country yet "increasingly the
government stands aside". He continued: "Some people say that we've
lost the war on drugs; I say we haven't begun to fight it. Fighting it
will be my top priority."

He also pledged to build more prisons, scrap Labour's early-release
scheme and put more cash into prisoner education.

An extra 40,000 police officers would be recruited and freed of red
tape. He told delegates the officers would be deployed on "zero
tolerance" policing with local people helping set priorities. National
targets and central controls on spending priorities would be axed,
allowing a return to "good traditional policing".

Mark Oaten, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said the Tory
proposals were uncosted and had "blown apart" Michael Howard's call
for honesty. He accused the Tory leader of hypocrisy for clamping down
on immigration at the same time as lauding his own refugee roots.

Mr Oaten said: "Yesterday Michael Howard called for honesty and for
his spokesman not to make promises that they couldn't deliver on.

"Only a day later David Davis has blown this approach apart. The
Tories talk about action but until they properly cost these proposals
the British public will assume that these pledges are only rhetoric."