Young Britons could lose benefits so immigrants can be blocked

The Government is considering a blanket benefit ban after being told it would be discriminatory to stop EU migrants from claiming until they have lived in the UK for four years.

The BBC reports changing welfare entitlement for migrants has become a key negotiating point in David Cameron's hopes for a new relationship with Europe.

The new policy would require migrants to have lived in the UK for at least four years before they could claim certain benefits. The Conservatives want it to apply to all new arrivals to the UK – but their hands are tied when it comes to those from the EU.

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Lawyers say the problem for the Government is that even if the EU agrees to the change, it will consider the requirement discriminatory unless it is applied equally to everyone in the UK.

Were the Government to proceed, all new claimants – including Britons who currently become eligible when they turn 18 – would have to wait four years for certain benefits, including tax credits.

Responding to the news, Carole Easton of the Women's Trust warned that young people are "already at the bottom of the pile" and said young mothers in particular could suffer under the plans.

She said: "If they don't work when they're young it's much harder for them to get their first foot on the ladder and not remain either on benefits or on very low pay for the rest of their lives."

The BBC says the changes could hit "thousands" of young people in the UK.