The reason Labour (and indeed the Tories and the LibDems) are now "getting tough" (splits sides laughing) with immigration is because they have finally, finally, realised that it is a major issue for large numbers of the electorate and they can no longer dismiss those concerns as the ravings of racists.
The big announcement last week that the European Court had given the green light for governments to deny benefits to migrants was a red herring. It only applied to Jobseekers Allowance and the court made it clear that other benefits (which cost far more) such as Working Tax and Child Tax Credits, Pension Credits, Hosing Benefit and Council Tax Credits were not subject to the ruling. So a migrant with a partner and two children can still come here, work for 24 hours on the minimum wage (worth £8,112 he works 52 weeks per year) and still enjoy an income, courtesy of the taxpayer, of £27,000 per year.
None of these panic measures would have been propounded by the main parties had the threat posed by UKIP not been present.