British plan for new EU workers under fire

BRITISH plans to ban workers from new EU member states from claiming benefits for two years could be illegal, the European Commission warned yesterday.

Britain, like Ireland, has said it will open its borders to workers from the new member states from enlargement day on May 1.

But following fears that people will travel just to collect unemployment assistance, Britain has joined Sweden and Denmark in introducing new regulations requiring workers to register to be legal. They are barred from claiming benefits for two years.