British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday reacted strongly to the immigration and asylum issue which is one of the center pieces in the opposition's campaign plan, saying his Labor government will neither ignore nor exploit it.

"Migrants are part of the rich fabric of our nations. They playa key role in Britain's skillful jobs," Blair said, in an attempt largely viewed as to woo swaying voters on the only topic over which they consistently favor the Conservatives.

Thought he admitted the issue is difficult to deal with, the Labor chief said "there is nothing to fear for legal immigration" as it's not an issue unique to Britain.

Blair cited statistics, saying the asylum applications receivedin the UK has dropped from 8,000 per month in 2003 to 2,000 now.

Foreign students studying in Britain bring some 5 billion pounds (about 9 billion US dollars) of earnings to the country every single year.

"Britain is a tolerant and decent nation. It's the duty of the government to deal with asylum and immigration. But the tolerance should not be abused," he noted.

Talking about the Conservatives playing up the immigration-asylum issue and advocating for a quota system, the prime minister said the Tories are "exploiting" the issue and stirring up "worries" and "anxiety" among voters.

With less than two weeks from the election day, polls still point to Labor's lead. A poll in the Daily Telegraph gives Blair's party 3 percent lead over the Conservatives, while in The Sun newspaper Labor has a seven-point lead.

Source: Xinhua