Britons turning hostile to immigrants, says survey

LONDON: More than three quarters of British adults believe immigrants should be asked to leave the country if they do not have a job, a survey for the Financial Times showed yesterday.

The FT/Harris survey said a majority of those questioned also opposed the right for other European Union citizens to work in Britain. Unemployment in Britain is at its highest for a decade and the tighter job market has put a renewed focus on the use of overseas workers. British construction workers protested earlier this year over the hiring of foreign contractors.

Immigration minister Phil Woolas told the Financial Times the survey's findings were not a surprise and that he was working to give assurances to the public.