Took tackles Tony on Telly

12.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 23rd Apr 2005

Ashford Liberal Democrats Parliamentary candidate, Chris Took

Ashford Liberal Democrats parliamentary candidate Chris Took tackled Tony Blair on television last Friday, putting forward the Liberal Democrat position on immigration and asylum.

The Prime Minister Tony Blair was making a keynote speech in nearby Dover and Chris was asked by Meridian Tonight to respond to the PM's plans.

Chris said "the Labour Party has had 8 years to sort out the issues surrounding immigration and asylum, the PM talked about how numbers have fallen in recent years but ignored the fact that numbers rose spectacularly from 1997 to 2001."

"The Liberal Democrats would seek to diffuse the emotive language currently being used by giving responsibilities for our immigration and asylum system over to an independent body. An Asylum Agency would consider claims lawfully, competently and impartially, independent from political interference."