Labour was today accused of peddling 'xenophobic rhetoric' after a senior frontbencher complained about receptionists in hotels being foreign.
In controversial remarks, Labour’s shadow immigration minister Chris Bryant said it ‘would be nice’ to go into a hotel in this country which had a British receptionist.
He said he was ‘angry’ at employers for failing to train and employ Brits, relying instead on people from Latvia and Estonia.
But the Tories said the comments were proof that Ed Miliband's party was 'confused' on the issue of immigration and was 'cynically' trying to grab headlines.
Mr Bryant, the MP for Rhondda in south Wales, said local businesses had been unable to fill jobs with local people.
‘I have very high levels of youth unemployment in my constituency; it has risen by some 200 per cent in the last year,’ he told BBC2’s Newsnight.
‘I do get quite angry with some British employers, who’ve decided not to bother train British youngsters to work in the hospitality industry or the construction industry.
‘It would be nice sometimes when you go into a British hotel if the receptionist was British.
‘We need to give our young people to have the skills and the opportunities to get those jobs.
‘There is a hotel in my constituency quite often it’s not been able to employ locally, it has ended up employing people from Estonia and Latvia, often people from Estonia and Latvia have so much get up and go they’ve got up and gone.’
He was speaking during a debate on the impact of immigration in the UK, ahead of limits being lifted next year on the number of people from Bulgaria and Romania who can settle elsewhere in the European Union.
Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi said: 'Chris Bryant's choice of words are irresponsible and unwise.
'His comments demonstrate how confused Labour are over the issue of immigration. Labour have gone from an "open door" policy leaving the country to cope with 2 million migrants, to cynically peddling xenophobic rhetoric.'
Mr Bryant complained that he never met a British person on a hotel reception desk
Victor Ponta, the prime minister of Romania, admitted there is a problem with citizens of his country coming to Britain and committing crimes.
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He said Roma gypsies, in particular, posed a 'huge challenge' to law enforcement by begging and stealing mobile phones.
Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta has admitted there is a problem with citizens of his country coming to Britain and committing crimes
And he backed Britain's moves to tighten up access to benefits for Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants.
It came as surverys suggested 150,000 Romanians and 200,000 Bulgarians are planning to move to Britain.
During the debate Mr Bryant apologised the immigration policy of the Labour government, in which he was a minister.
He said:’ In all situations where you have one country where wages are much lower than in another country, then people will be prepared, despite having very advanced skills and knowledge and qualifications, to work at much lower level in another country.
‘One of the things we have to take into consideration – absolutely – well, yes – can I do the apology on behalf of the Labour party.
‘I mean look, there was a very serious mistake that was made in 2004, which is that, all the main political parties believed in enlargement of the European Union.
‘The point is that we went out – Britain went out on a limb – Britain decided that unlike France and Germany and Italy that we would allow people to come to the UK, immediately from day one.’