British citizens should be able to choose to keep various benefits of EU membership including the freedom of movement after Brexit, the European Parliament's chief negotiator has said.

An all-inclusive social benefits package is close to being agreed for the budget which will see increased payments shared among pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and impoverished families.

The Government has been forced to defend proposals linking child benefit to school attendance after charities and politicians reacted angrily to the plans.

Proposals by the new government to link child benefit payments to school attendance have been met with strong criticism by campaign groups.

Germany is considering scrapping tax benefits for companies that do business with tax havens abroad as a reaction to the Panama papers, Der Spiegel magazine reported yesterday.

Pensioners, carers, the disabled and those on long-term welfare will be among those who receive the partially reinstated Christmas bonus in the next fortnight.

Former 'Coronation Street' actor Bruce Jones is now living off benefits.

The author of a report two years ago that indicated some families were better off on the dole than working said yesterday that reform of the system was "still completely off the political radar".