LONDON: People in Britain who do not speak fluent English will be barred from public sector jobs which involve working directly with the public, the government announced as part of its new tough immigration laws.

From September, National Health Service (NHS) staff and council workers will be among those required to have language skills equivalent to GCSE grade C or above, the announcement said.

It will also include police officers, social workers, teaching staff and assistants. Managers will have to test if employees can "communicate effectively with the public".

Minister for the Cabinet Office Matt Hancock said it was to help control immigration.

"We are controlling immigration for the benefit of all hard-working people. We have already introduced tough new language requirements for migrants, now we will introduce new legislation in the forthcoming immigration bill to deliver the commitment made by the prime minister to go further," he said.

The new rules, which will form part of the government's immigration bill, will mean every public sector worker in a "customer-facing" role will have to be able to speak at least school-leaver levels of English.

Doctors working in the UK are already required to have a much higher level of English and are tested by the General Medical Council (GMC).

"This will be the first time there has been a co- ordinated approach to enforcing fluent English across the public sector and will create a consistent experience for taxpayers, while promoting integration and British values in the United Kingdom," the UK government said in a release.
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