UK To Ban Migrants Benefits European Court Supports

"Around 1.2 million Brits choose to live in the EU."Leaving Europe will not only cost British jobs and push up prices, it will also reduce opportunities for Brits to live, work and study abroad."

The European Court of Justice has backed Britain's right to refuse welfare payments to jobless EU migrants who do not have the right to live in the UK.

The European Commission took the legal case against Britain to the Luxembourg court, on the grounds that it was discriminating against citizens of other EU countries attempting to claim handouts including child benefit and child tax credit.

But Europe's top judges ruled foreign nationals could be treated differently to limit the burden on taxpayers.

They said the "right to reside" test "does not go beyond what is necessary to attain the legitimate objective pursued by the UK, namely the need to protect its finances".

Judges said there was nothing in EU law to stop other member states imposing the same test on jobless foreign nationals.

Pro-Remain campaigners hailed the ruling as a sign that the UK can act to prevent "benefit tourism" while staying in the European Union.

Anthea McIntyre MEP, Conservative employment spokesman in the European Parliament, said: "The Commission may have attempted to dictate to Britain, but it has been put in its place by the EU's own institutions."