Ed Miliband pledged to crackdown on the illegal exploitation of migrant workers by promising a Home Office task force to boost prosecutions and fines on bad employers. Exploitation has driven low-skilled migration and held down wages for British workers, the Labour leader said during an outing in Wirral West earlier today. A new unit of 100 staff would work with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, specialist police units and Home Office enforcement staff, he added. But Nigel Farage and Tory Immigration Minister James Brokenshire dismissed Mr Miliband's ideas and said he was doing nothing to control immigration. Scroll down for video . Ed Miliband, pictured during his speech today, pledged to crackdown on the illegal exploitation of migrant workers by promising a Home Office task force to boost prosecutions and fines on bad employers . The Ukip leader said he was right about some migrants being exploited but insisted it was not the main issue. He told Sky News: 'It's a big diversion. Is he right that some people who come here are exploited and abused? Yes of course he's right, there's no doubt there are problems out there. 'But it is not the main issue. The main issue is we have too many people allowed to come here which is pushing down people's wages.' In his speech Mr Miliband insisted that there was an 'epidemic of exploitation'. He said: 'So many of the secure jobs that once defined the places people live have gone. 'Low pay. Low skills. Temporary jobs. Poor prospects. Zero hours contracts. This is the story of our economy for so many people in this country. 'And it is in these low skill, insecure workplaces where migrant labour is often concentrated. 'Too often this anything-goes economy damages the interests of the working people of the country. People who live in the most appalling, cramped conditions, sleeping 20 to a house; people who are paid well below the minimum wage; people who have their wages stolen.' But Nigel Farage (right) and Tory Immigration Minister James Brokenshire (left) dismissed Mr Miliband's ideas and said he was doing nothing to control immigration . In his speech in Pensby, northern England, Mr Miliband insisted that there was an 'epidemic of exploitation' He added that the exploitation was driving down standards for other employers. 'It makes it harder for responsible employers to do the right thing and pay decent wages,' he said. 'It is an epidemic of exploitation and we will end it.' He also used the speech to promise Labour would do more to secure the borders - with 1,000 extra staff at ports - and help integration. This will include requiring people to speak English, particularly when they work in the public sector and NHS. Mr Miliband said: 'Labour got it wrong in the past. We have listened. We have learned and we have changed. 'Let me be clear. It is not prejudiced to be concerned about immigration. As Prime Minister, I will always address concerns not ignore them. As Prime Minister, I will always put working families first. 'That's why we'll have proper controls and rules because at the heart of our programme in 2015 is working people.' He even referred to his parents fleeing to Britain from Nazi Germany in an attempt to win the audience round. 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 . Meanwhile Prime Minister David Cameron (left) took part the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan procession at Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara with his wife Samantha (right) 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 wouldn't be standing here today, asking you to elect me your Prime Minister, if it wasn't for the generosity of this great country.' Steve Murphy, general secretary of the building workers union Ucatt, said: 'This commitment demonstrates that Labour is serious about ending the misery caused by the exploitation of migrant workers and rightly targets the employers who profit through the mistreatment of workers.’ But Mr Brokenshire, speaking before Mr Miliband's speech, said that 'nothing' in Labour’s proposal would help. He said: 'Labour sent out "search parties for people" and under them net migration increased more than five-fold. 'Since 2010, the Conservatives 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. ‘A vote for Ed Miliband would risk all of that with a Labour-SNP stitch up.'
Exploitation drives low-skilled migration and holds down wages, he said.
Speech given during an outing in marginal seat Wirral West earlier today.
Ukip leader said it was a 'big diversion' as exploitation not the main issue.