West Midlands Tories intend to make immigration an election issue in what appears to be open defiance of the wishes of the party leadership, it emerged yesterday.

Andrew Hargreaves, Tory MP for Birmingham Hall Green, said that West Midlands Tory MPs would be meeting in Westminster this week to work out an agreed response to what they see as Labour's plans to weaken Britain's immigration laws.

But he insisted that this would not run contrary to the agreed leadership line, and was only in response to Labour immigration plans.

Labour intends to amend the primary purpose rule - which makes applicants prove that gaining entry to Britain is not the primary purpose of their marrying a British citizen - and introduce a right of appeal for those refused visitor visas.

A senior Labour source claimed these were much-needed changes which would make the system work more efficiently, and accused the West Midland Tories of ''playing the race card''.

The issue was raised earlier this month by right-winger and Euro-sceptic Nicholas Budgen when he asked the Prime Minister in the Commons to resist any relaxation of Britain's immigration rules.

And in what appeared to be a clear put down of Mr Budgen, Mr Major told him he would not ''lend my voice or my policies'' to anything that would damage race relations.

Mr Budgen (Wolverhampton SW) said yesterday that Tories should come out against a single currency and against any weakening of Britain's immigration laws.

And Mr Hargreaves confirmed that West Midlands Tories intend to compose an agreed response to Labour's immigration proposals at a meeting in Westminster this week.

But he did not accept that he and his colleagues were turning immigration into an election issue in defiance of the party leadership.

''If Labour want and are pressing to make this an election issue, it is useful to have an agreed line for the region. If they decide to drop it we will drop it.''

Mr Budgen said the MPs would meet this week to stress their opposition to any weakening of immigration laws.

But Defence Secretary Michael Portillo appealed to Tory MPs like Mr Budgen not to rock the boat, saying individual campaigns like this would distract attention from the concerted Tory bid to defeat Labour.

''If people go around putting in their own manifestos, that is a decision for them, of course, but the danger is it will distract attention during the election campaign from getting our message across, on Europe and everything else.''

A senior Labour source said: ''They are nakedly playing the race card in a desperate attempt to save their skins.''

Immigration has been a contentious issue in the West Midlands since the 1960s and 1970s.