Jack Straw has denied Britain was forced to water down its proposals for illegal immigrants in order to reach agreement at the EU summit.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend, the foreign secretary denied the agreement reached was a defeat for Britain, insisting it still had "clout".

Ministers have dismissed claims that France and Sweden managed to soften the UK's plan to penalise countries which fail to co-operate with the immigration controls.

Britain has gained and so has Europe, as a result directly of this initiative

Jack Straw

Mr Straw said the UK and Europe had gained as a result of Britain and Spain putting asylum and unlawful immigration on the agenda of the EU summit in Seville.

"Is there clout in the conclusions? Yes, there is," Mr Straw said.

The leaders of the EU's 15 member states stopped short of imposing controversial economic sanctions on poor countries which do not co-operate with their campaign.

But the agreement does includes "positive incentives" to those countries which attempted to crack down on people smugglers and were prepared to re-admit their citizens.

"None of what we are talking about is penalising the poor of these countries in terms of humanitarian aid," he added.

Tony Blair has welcomed the Europe-wide clampdown on illegal immigrants.

The deal will mean tougher border controls

Speaking at the summit, the prime minister said the action will not "shut out" legitimate asylum seekers.

"It's about ensuring that the people traffickers who trade in human misery cannot exploit weaknesses," he said.

The new directives will involve joint border patrols and a tightening of borders with countries outside the EU

They will also see the EU start to process asylum seekers in the first country they pass through.

More work needed

Europe Minister Peter Hain said the agreement would stop immigrants "shopping around for the best deal after coming into Europe through a nook or cranny".

Britain had been among countries - including Spain - calling for a tougher line on poor countries which fail to co-operate with immigration controls.

But firm opposition from France and Sweden led to a deal being agreed that the EU will adopt common standards for dealing with asylum applications by the end of the year.

Mr Blair said the agreement meant they were making progress, but more work was still need.

In the past, some countries have ignored the asylum and immigration rules under which they are expected to operate.