Howard: Tories will quit Geneva Convention

• Howard promises to take Britain out of 1951 UN Convention on refugees

• Howard calls on parliament to set single quota for all immigration

• Howard further signalled scepticism on economic benefits of immigration

Key quote

"It is simply not possible to opt out of any kind of problem like the issue of refugees in the globalised world we live in today" - Peter Kessler, United Nations High Commission for Refugees spokesman

Story in full MICHAEL Howard, the Conservative leader, was attacked from left and right yesterday after promising to take Britain out of a United Nations convention on refugees as part of his attempt to toughen his party’s stance on immigration.

As immigrant groups accused Mr Howard of trying to stir up fear over asylum seekers, the UK Independence Party said the Tory leader was trying to steal its ideas in a bid to shore up his party’s flagging support.

In a speech in London, Mr Howard called for parliament to set a single quota for all forms of immigration, including economic migration, family members joining British residents, and places available for people claiming political asylum.

Challenging Labour’s assumptions that increased immigration will help fuel economic growth - and ignoring Scotland’s particular need for immigration to offset a shrinking workforce - Mr Howard also sounded a sceptical note on the monetary benefits of immigration. But it was his pledge to withdraw from the 1951 UN convention on the treatment of refugees that caused the most controversy.

The accord, part of the Geneva Convention, obliges signatories to give shelter to people fleeing persecution, and prohibits deporting would-be immigrants to nations where they could be at risk.

Describing the UN convention as outdated, Mr Howard said that the current rules have helped to create an international people-smuggling industry.

"Genuine refugees will be welcomed, but those who are not will be swiftly removed. This will immediately deter people from falsely claiming asylum in Britain - significantly reducing the numbers."

Peter Kessler, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, said that Mr Howard’s plan would do nothing to reduce the number of people seeking refuge in rich countries.

"It is simply not possible to opt out of any kind of problem like the issue of refugees in the globalised world we live in today," he said. "For a state to try to create its own rules would encourage other states to create their own rules."

Habib Rahman, the head of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said he was "utterly shocked" by Mr Howard’s plans, which he said would "help to create an unwarranted fear of immigration".

Meanwhile, UKIP accused Mr Howard of a panic reaction to the electoral gains of the anti-Europeans.

Robert Kilroy-Silk, a UKIP member of the European Parliament, said Mr Howard had "plagiarised" one of his speeches earlier this month when he called for immigration to be capped at 100,000 people each year and pledged to withdraw from the UN convention.

"He is actually parroting virtually what I said," Mr Kilroy-Silk told Radio Four. "He has got to steal UKIP’s clothes because we are stealing their votes."