Prove your worth to be a Brit, says Brown

Immigrants will not be granted permanent British citizenship unless they undertake community work and prove they are in tune with British values, Gordon Brown warned today.

In a clear signal that he will toughen up immigration policy when he becomes prime minister, the Chancellor wants to create a new status of "temporary citizenship". There would be a probationary period during which foreigners would have to pass a string of tests to qualify for full rights. The proposal being considered by Mr Brown would match that of France, where citizenship has to be earned through a series of conditions.

The Chancellor, outlining his plans at a conference in London today to discuss Britishness in the 21st century, said it was time to end the situation where citizenship is granted through "24 questions on life in the UK that last for 45 minutes".

He believes that obliging migrants to carry out community work, for charities and other groups, will help introduce them to the people they will be living alongside.

He also believes the measure could act as a deterrent to those who do not want to "pull their weight" after they settle in the UK. Undertaking community work would be in addition to stringent citizenship tests, which examine knowledge of British history and culture and new English language tests.

Mr Brown's comments follow his earlier call for all incomers to learn English, and for the UK to have its own day to celebrate its national identity. The plan for

temporary citizenship would create a "contract" between foreign-born nationals and the state under which they would prove their desire to become integrated.

Many Labour MPs believe such segregation, allied with a rise in Muslim extremism, is fuelling the far-Right BNP as white native Britons resent welfare and other benefits granted to those who are not integrating.

Today's conference at the Commonwealth Club in central London will ask a range of ethnic groups to discuss what Britishness means to them. Mr Brown said: "For new citizens, learning English should be a requirement. Citizens should have an understanding of our history and culture." He added that recent weeks had seen a rise in the debate on Britishness.