Sky News has apologised after presenter Julie Etchingham joked on air the Conservatives favoured a policy of "extermination" for immigrants.

Sky News has apologised after presenter Julie Etchingham joked on air the Conservatives favoured a policy of "extermination" for immigrants.

Etchingham's aside was accidentally broadcast during live coverage of Tory leader David Cameron's speech.

In his first major speech on immigration, Mr Cameron said: "Let me outline the action that a Conservative government would take. As we have seen, some of the increase in population size results from natural change - birth rates, death rates. Here our policy should be obvious... "

At that point, Etchingham was clearly heard to say: "Extermination."

Sky News said afterwards that her comment was "regrettable".

Last week, it was revealed that Etchingham is leaving Sky News to co-present ITV's resurrected News At Ten bulletin alongside Sir Trevor McDonald.

A former BBC journalist, Etchingham joined Sky News in 2002 and in 2005 became the first woman to host an election night programme.

A Sky News spokesman said: "A comment was made in the studio during David Cameron's speech that was broadcast in error.

"The comment was not intended for broadcast. The off-the-cuff remark was regrettable."

Meanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain was forced to apologise after admitting that the increase in foreign nationals working in the UK since 1997 was 1.1 million - 300,000 more than previously stated.

This means that foreign nationals have taken 40.7% of the 2.7 million jobs created since Labour came to power.

They now account for about 8% of the 29.1 million people working in the UK.

Tories accused the Government of losing control over the systems for migrant workers.