David Cameron yesterday set out a series of measures designed to make it tougher for immigrants to claim benefits and use UK public services such as the NHS.

The British Government is rolling up the red carpet and showing the door to illegal immigrants

Britain’s Prime Minister used a keynote speech on immigration to warn those coming to the country that they cannot expect “something for nothing”.

Mr Cameron said he wanted to ensure that the NHS was a “free National Health Service not a free international health service” and that entitlement to public services was “something migrants earn, not an automatic right”.

From next year, arrivals from the European Union will be stripped of jobseekers’ benefits after six months unless they can prove they have been actively looking for a job and stand a “genuine chance” of finding one.

New guidance to be introduced this spring will create a “local residence test” to give local people priority in the waiting list for social housing and ensure that migrants become eligible only after they have been in the country for two years.

Mr Cameron said the Government will also target illegal immigration, doubling the maximum fine for companies that employ illegal workers to £20,000 (€23,600). Illegal immigrants will be blocked from getting a driving licence and the Government is working with the financial services industry to stop them from obtaining credit cards, loans and bank accounts, he said.

And he signalled action against so-called “health tourism” that could mean non-EU nationals have to prove they hold insurance before getting care.

The NHS will be told to improve its performance on collecting fees due under reciprocal arrangements with members of the European Economic Area – the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – when their nationals are treated in the UK.

Speaking at University Campus Suffolk in Ipswich, the Prime Minister said the previous Labour government let immigration to get “far too high and badly out of control” and allowed the benefits system to become a “soft touch”.

“While I have always believed in the benefits of immigration, I have also always believed that immigration has to be properly controlled. Without proper controls community confidence is sapped, resources are stretched and the benefits that immigration can bring are lost or forgotten.”

Mr Cameron restated the Conservative aim of bringing net migration down to tens of thousands, and said he wanted to ensure those who came to the UK are “the brightest and the best”, who can contribute to its economy.

The PM also set out Government plans to negotiate with other European states on making economically inactive migrants the responsibility of their home countries and limiting the amount of child benefit paid towards the upkeep of children living abroad.

He said local and national taskforces will be set up to tackle businesses that use illegal immigrants in particular sectors and regions, like agricultural work in East Anglia. Private landlords will be told to check tenants’ immigration status, with “consequences” for those who fail to do so.