Immigration minister Phil Woolas said there was no doubt that “bad people” in the racist party — whose leader Nick Griffin is standing for election in Barking and Dagenham — would “like to cause trouble”.
Mr Woolas said the Met police and the Crown Prosecution Service were preparing for a surge in public order offences and taking precautions.
“You allow free speech of course, but you take measures to ensure that inflammatory incidents and events are not juxtaposed,” he said.
“You take care that public figures are kept away from inflammatory points. I've been very impressed by the sophistication of the Met so I think we will prevent the problem.”
Mr Woolas, the MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, said: “We are going to beat the BNP. Nick Griffin actually stood in my constituency and we saw them off and we're doing the same in London by recognising the concerns of the people who vote for them and are tempted to vote for them.
“We don't pander to them and we don't pander to racism, but we do say that we understand the concerns of the BNP voter and we are addressing those concerns.”
Mr Woolas predicted that immigration would be the second most important issue of the election after the economy, leading to a “bruising battle” between the main political parties.
He claimed that Labour would win votes on the issue because of the success of the new “points-based system”, under which non-EU migrants can enter Britain to work or study if they meet criteria relating to their skills, wealth and earnings.
Mr Woolas revealed that from next year the system would be strengthened through the introduction of a “London skills shortage list”.
He said: “You can say you can work in this country as a teacher, but you can only work in London. If the employer who is sponsoring you doesn't play that game we can fine the employer.”
The minister said the Government was also planning new rules under which migrants who fail to pay for NHS treatment will be barred from Britain until they clear their debt.
“If you come and use the NHS and we send you a bill and you don't pay it we won't let you back in the country. That's 20p or £20,000… I feel quite strongly about this. If you are coming into the country and using the NHS, it's not a charity,” he said.
“It's paid for by the taxpayer for the taxpayers and although we respect the Hippocratic oath and we look after anyone who needs emergency treatment, we are not suckers. We won't allow people to come and use our health service unless they pay for it.”
Mr Woolas said it was wrong to assume that his support for immigration controls was an authoritarian position.
“I believe that we will only create a tolerant society when people are reassured that we are controlling immigration,” he said.
“Because people fear that we don't control immigration, the person who gets the backlash is the legal migrant and the British ethnic minorities. So I believe that controlling immigration is morally the right thing to do.”
This is London
