Clive Lewis’s denunciation of attempts to manage EU migration comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is under growing pressure from within his party to commit to free movement.
Mr Lewis, a former shadow minister and one-time close ally of Mr Corbyn, is one of 30 Labour MPs who signed an open letter, published yesterday, pleading to stay in the single market and to defend free movement.
He said he backed managing non-EU migration, but imposing it on the Continent was a backward step when what was needed was “free movement-plus”, involving new rights and responsibilities.
“I believe in freedom of movement,” he told fellow Labour MP Caroline Flint in a clash on TV.
“You are not going to like to hear this – it always comes back down to something the Left in this country has very much difficulty with, which is that it is ultimately about racism. It comes down to racism.”
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She told Mr Lewis: “The thing, Clive, that you do not accept is that people do not want to have our migration settled by the 27 other member states.”
Ms Flint also claimed Mr Lewis and his allies were dishonest to say their aim was to stay in the single market.
“I think they should be more upfront and honest. It is a campaign to stop us leaving the EU.”
Tory MP Philip Davies said: “Clive Lewis has let the truth about Labour shine through. According to Corbyn’s Labour, if you want to control the numbers of people coming into the country then you are a racist.
“That is insulting to decent people across the country and shows how out of touch Labour are with working-class communities.”
MEP Steven Woolfe, an independent former Ukip member, said: “Stop abusing the word racism and branding Brits racist.”
Meanwhile shadow home secretary Diane Abbott vowed from the conference platform that a Labour government would base its immigration policy on Labour “values”.
She accused the Tories of “weaponising” the issue and “pandering to anti-immigration sentiment whatever the cost to the economy and communities”.
Earlier Mr Corbyn declined to spell out his own policy even though Labour’s manifesto acknowledged free movement would end.