Everyone who comes to Britain should know how to speak English , Labour Ed Miliband has warned as he admitted Labour made mistakes on immigration . The Labour leader admitted that in the past his party had been 'too timid ' about making clear that for communities to live together they must use a shared language . But the Tories said there was nothing in Mr Miliband 's plans to act to reduce the number of people moving to Britain , after net migration hit 298,000 in a year . Scroll down for video . Ed Miliband admitted that in the past his party had been 'too timid ' about making clear that for communities to live together they must use a shared language . Mr Miliband pledged a new crackdown on illegal exploitation of migrant workers , promising a Home Office task force to boost prosecutions and fines on bad employers . Speaking in Wirral West - a marginal seat held by the Tory Employment Minister Esther McVey - the Labour leader said exploitation drives low skilled migration and holds down wages for British workers . His new unit of 100 staff will bring together people from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and specialist police units , together with additional Home Office enforcement staff . The unit will be empowered to investigate abuse and be challenged to increase prosecutions and fines levelled against employers who break the rules . But he also warned that migrants must learn to speak English , especially in key services like the NHS . Mr Miliband said : 'Our communities are changing fast but we do n't cope with change by closing our doors to each other and living our lives in separate worlds . 'Instead we must find a way to live together across communities . ' A Britain where people of all backgrounds , all cultures , all religions , can practise their own faiths but also come together to forge a common identity . 'But we can only build this shared society if we speak the same language . ' In his speech in Pensby , northern England , Mr Miliband insisted that there was an 'epidemic of exploitation ' He said his own parents had learned to speak English after arriving from Belgium in 1940 . 'It is why I believe in a simple principle : Everyone in Britain should know how to speak English . 'Sometimes , we 've been too timid about this but it is something we should expect from everyone who comes here . 'And it is especially important that people who work in public services in public facing roles should be required to speak English . ' He said that 'nowhere is that more true ' than in the health service . 'We all know the crucial contribution that people from overseas play in our NHS . Doctors , paramedics , social workers , nurses . Bringing specialist skills that we need . ' I will never demean or devalue their contribution to our country . 'But it is vital that people who come to fulfil these roles do n't just have the right medical skills , but can communicate with those for whom they care . 'So in the future all healthcare professionals will be required to speak English to a sufficient standard so they can care effectively for patients . ' The Labour leader , pictured greeting staff and students at Pensby High School , also used the speech to promise Labour would do more to secure the borders - with 1,000 extra staff at ports - and help integration . Mr Miliband told the audience how his 'parents came to Britain to flee the horrors of Nazi Germany ' . He said : 'They found a country that welcomed them and offered them the opportunity to build a new life . To start a family . To work hard and make a contribution . ' I would n't be standing here today , asking you to elect me your Prime Minister , if it was n't for the generosity of this great country . Conservative immigration minister James Brokenshire said nothing Ed Miliband is proposing would help control immigration . 'Where we are always stronger when we draw on the widest range of talents , perspectives and cultures . 'But I also know for that to happen , there have to be proper controls on immigration . We have got to have the right rules in place and with a Labour government we will . ' He went on : ' I 've been very clear about the mistakes the last Labour government made . 'We were wrong not to ensure there were maximum transitional controls when new countries joined the European Union in 2004 . 'And the reason we were wrong is that working people were seeing dramatic changes in their communities that were not planned or properly prepared for . 'And we wo n't make that mistake in future . ' Conservative immigration minister James Brokenshire said : 'Nothing Ed Miliband is proposing would help control immigration . Labour sent out 'search parties for people ' and under them net migration increased more than five-fold . 'Since 2010 , we have stripped more than 850 bogus colleges of their rights to sponsor foreign students , cracked down on illegal working and sham marriages , made it harder for people to live in the UK illegally , and reduced the number of appeal routes to stop spurious attempts to remain in the country . 'And the next Conservative government will seek changes to the operation of European free movement rules as a key part of our plan to renegotiate Britain 's relationship with the EU . 'But a vote for Ed Miliband would risk all of that with a Labour-SNP stitch up . '
Labour leader says speaking English is especially important in the NHS . Says communities can not live together if they do n't have shared language . Warns exploitation drives low-skilled migration and holds down wages . Admits it was wrong to open the doors to Poles in 2004 without curbs .