Jobless Britons are to lose out on thousands of new vacancies after it emerged that the Government is ­ planning to draft in foreign workers to help on major building projects – all funded by the taxpayer.

Despite Gordon Brown’s pledge to fight for “British jobs for British workers”, Home Office chiefs have commissioned a “grotesque” report to find out how many extra migrant workers might be needed for such schemes as the £9billion London Olympics and the capital’s ­£16billion Crossrail development.

With 2.5million people continuing to sit on the dole, critics reacted ­furiously last night.

Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green said: “This report is a clear sign of failure in the Government’s training policies and a slap in the face for British workers.
“It shows that all the tough talk from ministers about controlling immigration is just hot air.”

Tory MP and former Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe said that any jobs available should first be offered to UK workers.
She said: “I would have thought that given the high level of unemployment in Britain that UK ­workers would be the first port of call.
“Even if you have to move people around the country, unemployed people in Britain should be first in the queue. Given the tight timetable of the projects, we might need to import some skills, but we have a lot of people on the dole queue in this country who need jobs.”

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
“People who are unemployed and desperate for work will be gutted to learn that their own Government isn’t protecting their interests.
“It is grotesque that while millions of people are stuck on the dole, ­ministers are looking at drafting in millions of foreign workers. The high level of unemployment is a huge drain on the public finances, and this will prolong the problem.”
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