Labour addressed immigration concerns head on today with an attack on the Tory record and a pledge to create a new Government task force to crack down on exploitation.

Speaking at Pensby High School, Ed Miliband said that under a Labour government 100 staff will be challenged to increase prosecutions and fines against bad employers who encourage low skilled migration and undermine the minimum wage.

The Labour leader took questions from voters in a specially arranged question and answer session, before being interviewed by the Globe's senior reporter Emma Rigby.

Mr Miliband said abusive practices such as forcing scores of workers to live in cramped houses for illegally low wages is driving unskilled migration and hurting conditions for local workers.

And he condemned the Prime Minister for not meeting his promise to cut immigration to the tens of thousands, insisting Labour will not make pledges it cannot meet.

Huge applause was given when Mr Miliband promised to keep the ban on fox hunting and stop the badger cull.

He said he would "reverse the rolling tide of privatisation we have seen in the NHS" and repeal the Health and Social Care Act.

Promises were also made on gender equality, with Mr Miliband saying he would not rest until 50% of the Cabinet is made up of women.

Speaking after his key note speech, Mr Miliband answered questions from local media in one-on-one sessions.

The Globe asked him about Labour's plans for the Mersey Tunnel tolls following a Tory pledge yesterday, Friday, to review giving Wirral motorists free travel.

The pledge came after pressure from Esther McVey, who branded the tolls as an "unfair tax on Wirral."

Labour said the move is an "election stunt" that will backfire on the Conservatives.

In February, the Labour-led local authorities on Merseyside started their own review to get a fair deal for Mersey Tunnel users.

Today, Mr Miliband told the Globe: "It's an extraordinary thing that the Conservatives had five years in Government and 19 days before an election they suddenly promise a review which is already happening. I don't think anybody is going to believe it frankly.

"But absolutely, we're committed to the review that's taking place, a review that started in February.

"I think it's a pretty desperate sign of the Tory campaign frankly that they're promising a review that's already underway and we absolutely want to work with those doing the review to have a fair system."

Asked if a Labour Government would see an end to Wirral Council cuts which have seen street lights turned off and special needs schools at risk, Mr Miliband said: "What we're not going to do is follow the Tory plan.

"We're going to dump the Tory plan which is to double the spending cuts next year and I think it's really important that people know that.

"The cuts that councils are making are the responsibility of Central Government because they're imposing the cuts.

"There are two things that we can promise.

"First of all, we are going to abandon the Tory plan to double the cuts next year and secondly we're going to have fair funding because I think one of the things that sticks in people's throats is that you've got some areas of the country which have actually seen funding go up or at least cuts which are 10 times less than some of the cuts around here and that is totally wrong and totally unfair and we're going to have fair funding for everyone."

Asked if Labour, and candidates Margaret Greenwood (Wirral West) and Alison McGovern (Wirral South) have what it takes to win on May 7, Mr Miliband said: "Yes, yes and yes."

He added: "Alison is an absolute star of our party and I'm incredibly proud to have her on the front bench and incredibly proud to have her as somebody who is speaking for Labour and she's a great asset to our party.

"I'm really admiring of the campaign Margaret has run and what's really interesting about Margaret's campaign is that it's a people powered campaign. It's been about going out, knocking on doors and talking to people in Wirral West about what they care about and the changes they want to see happening.

"It's a big difference with Esther McVey's campaign frankly. In the end people have to make their own decision.

"Do they want somebody who will vote to abolish the bedroom tax, somebody who will vote to put up the minimum wage, someone who will ban exploitative zero hour contracts and give money to our NHS or do they want somebody who is going to vote to carry on the bedroom tax, somebody who won't properly fund the NHS, somebody who will carry on with those exploitative zero hour contracts?

"There's a big big choice in this election and I'm proud of the campaigns they are both running."