Labour to ban jobless EU migrants from claiming benefits for TWO YEARS under plan to curb welfare tourism EXCLUSIVE: Labour attempt to outflank Tories and Ukip on immigration Rachel Reeves vows to curb access to out-of-work benefits for two years Also wants to end the "absurdity" of child benefit being exported to the EU Could limit access to tax credits used by employees to top-up low wages But agreement would be needed across the EU raising doubts about plan Tories say: 'Nobody will what Labour say on immigration or welfare' Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves vowed to put the "fairness and responsibility at the heart of Britain's welfare system." EU migrants would have to wait up to two years before claiming jobless benefits under new Labour plans to curb benefit tourism. The move goes far beyond the current three month delay in claiming the dole, and would be a key demand from Ed Miliband for Brussels to give Britain tighter control of benefits spending. In an exclusive article for MailOnline, Labour's Rachel Reeves vowed to put the "fairness and responsibility at the heart of Britain's welfare system." The plans, set out for the first time today, also include limiting access to tax credits which are used by employees to top-up incomes for low paid workers, and ending the "absurdity" of child benefit being exported to families spread across Europe. The plan will be seen as an attempt by Labour to address the loss of support to Ukip, particularly in its northern heartlands. Strategists also hope to steal a march on David Cameron, who is expected to set out his plans to curb EU immigration in the next few weeks. Ms Reeves, the shadow work and pensions secretary, warns that the current benefits system was "never designed for the levels of migration we are now seeing." She has discussed the plans with ministers in France and Germany and believes a deal can be done to secure agreement. However, the major reforms are illegal under current EU rules and some member states have already refused to consider changes to benefits paid to those in work, raising doubts about whether the aims are all deliverable. She told MailOnline: "Labour will put fairness and responsibility at the heart of Britain's welfare system by restricting benefits which jobseekers from the EU can claim. That means banning jobseekers from claiming out-of-work benefits for two years, and ending child benefit and child tax credits from being sent abroad. David Cameron has failed to deliver the changes our country needs. Labour will work with other countries in Europe to get a better deal for Britain. The coalition government increased the time migrants had to wait before claiming benefits from one month to three months at the start of 2014. We have to listen to the real concerns that people have about how immigration is being managed It came after concern about the number of people who would move to the UK from Romania and Bulgaria after work restrictions were lifted on January 1. Tory work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has floated the idea of extending the waiting time to one or two years, but it has not yet been adopted as Conservative party policy. More than half of voters have named immigration has one of the top three issues facing the country. But Labour has struggled to make an impact, with just 16 per cent of people saying the party has the best policies on asylum and immigration. It is still damaged by the decision to open the borders to workers from Poland in 2004, predicting 13,000 would arrive but more than one million came. Mr Miliband has ordered his frontbenchers to hold public meetings with members of the public on the issue to make it clear Labour takes it seriously. In a speech last week, designed to shore up his leadership, Mr Miliband insisted it is not 'prejudiced to worry about the effects of immigration'. He added: 'A sense of fairness means that we can't simply allow wages to be undercut. A sense of fairness means that entitlement to benefits should be earned, so you contribute for longer before you claim. Today shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused Ukip of 'exploiting peoples' fears, fuelling anxiety and division, and David Cameron is racing to catch up'. 774 shares Latest figures show that almost 65,000 people from the EU were claiming jobseekers allowance in February this year Labour's three-point plan announced today includes: Increasing the time EU jobseekers must wait before claiming out-of-work benefits from three months to two years. Changing rules on in-work benefits to stop employers using tax credits to top up low wages for temporary workers Ending the "absurdity" of child benefit and child tax credits being paid to workers in the UK for children living elsewhere in the EU Under the benefit crackdown announced today, Ms Reeves insists she will not "pander to those who deny the positive contribution that immigrants have always made to our country." She also highlights the "economic benefits" of Britain remaining in the European Union. But she concedes: 'We have to listen to the real concerns that people have about how immigration is being managed.' A Tory source said: 'Nobody will believe a word Labour say on immigration or welfare. 'They let immigration and the welfare bill get totally out of control and they have opposed every single step we've taken to bring them back under control as part of our long-term economic plan. 'And because they oppose the Prime Minister's plan to negotiate reform in Europe, followed by an in-out referendum, Labour have no credible way to deliver the real change that Britain needs.' Ukip migration spokesman Steven Woolfe said: "Ed Miliband's Labour Party are twisting themselves into knots trying to be UKIP, while trying to attack UKIP at the same time. 'This new idea of theirs will somehow, magically have to circumvent the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which the Labour Party keeps repeating its commitment to. Ukip's position on this is very simple, and is the only honest policy out there. To control all issues surrounding migration, including benefits, Britain would have to leave the European Union. 'Anyone claiming anything otherwise is either wilfully deceiving the British public, or startlingly unaware of Britain's commitments so long as we are EU members. Labour leader Ed Miliband used a speech last week to warn: 'Entitlement to benefits should be earned, so you contribute for longer before you claim' Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said Labour would introduce a £10 charge on millions of oversees visitors Millions of Americans, Australians and Canadians will be charged £10 to come to Britain, under plans set out by Labour to pay for extra border staff. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said 1,000 extra border guards could be hired by charging 5.5 million visitors from 55 countries - including more than 2 million from the US, Australia and Canada. Currently visitors from a host of friendly countries can travel to Britain to work, study or go on holiday without a visa. But Labour want to include these countries in the Government's "electronic visa waiver" scheme - a system of fast-track permission to enter the UK - charging each visitor £10. Currently only the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman are covered by the programme - which allows visitors into Britain for up to six months. The Tories have today attacked the Labour proposal - claiming that bringing the US, Australia and Canada into the visa-waiver scheme would cost millions in unnecessary bureaucracy. Under EU rules, child benefit has to be paid to European nationals who are working in Britain and paying National Insurance - even if their families are based abroad. David Cameron has also promised to act on child benefit being sent abroad, making it a key demand of his plans to renegotiate Britain's membership of the EU. The Prime Minister said in May: "If you travel and work from another European country into Britain, you can then claim child benefit and other benefits for your family back at home even though actually they're not living in the UK and going to UK schools and all the rest of it. And under the current rules, it seems extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change that. Now I haven't met anybody who thinks this is sensible ... so that is again a really big change. Ms Reeves says she has already discussed ending child benefit being sent abroad with her German and French counterparts. I promise that a Labour government won't give up until we have put this right. Mr Cameron has promised to stage a renegotiation of Britain's membership of the EU, before holding an in-out referendum by 2017. He pledged to put freedom of movement at the heart of the talks with EU leaders. Senior Tories have suggested that unless the UK can extract a better deal from Brussels, it would be better to leave than remain in an unreformed institution. Last night Steffen Kampeter, Germany's deputy finance minister, said it would be a "catastrophe" if the UK severed ties with Brussels, including bringing "disadvantages" for the British economy. He told BBC2's Newsnight that Germany will "find ways" to keep Britain in the European Union, including curbing migrants claiming benefits. Mr Kampeter insisted that changes to the principle of freedom of movement was not an option. But he added: "I understand that migration within the EU, into social security systems of single countries, is something we have to finance. But I don't think that the answer is to limit the free movement of persons. I think we need a European-wide legislation that makes clear that free movement does not mean free movement into social security systems. He said Germany has "similar problems" and minsters are "trying to address them." It follows a ruling by the European Court of Justice which said jobless EU migrants cannot move around the continent living off state handouts - and have no right to move to another country if they cannot support themselves. It ruled against a Romanian single mother who moved to Germany without a job, and made no effort to look for work, but demanded benefits designed for jobseekers. RACHEL REEVES: Change rules to ban EU jobseekers from claiming benefits for two years Last week Ed Miliband set out how Labour will build a country that works for working people, reforming our economy to make work pay, and ensuring that our system is built on the British values of fairness and contribution. Those are the values that I will apply to the social security system as Labour's secretary of state for work and pensions. And they are the values that we apply to controlling immigration and making it work for Britain. UKIP would have us leave British values of fairness and toleration at the door, not to mention taking us out of the EU and risking jobs and investment here in Britain. And the Tories look increasingly like they are desperately attempting to out-UKIP UKIP. I will never pander to those who would deny the positive contribution that immigrants have always made to our country or the economic benefits we gain from our membership of the EU. UKIP would have us leave British values of fairness and toleration at the door But I also believe that we have to listen to the real concerns that people have about how immigration is being managed. That's why I'm setting out a credible three point plan for reforming our social security system, which was never designed for the levels of migration we are now seeing, to ensure it works for people who come here from the EU. This will ensure the system is fair, and seen to be fair. First, we know that our welfare state was built on the principle that people should work and contribute before drawing on the system. Other countries, like Germany, have already gone further than us on this issue. So we believe that it is right to extend the period that EU jobseekers need to live and support themselves in the UK before claiming out-of-work benefits from three months to two years. We don't need to walk away from Europe to put the principles of work and contribution at the heart of our system. We can deliver these changes through negotiation and reform and we will. Second, if we are serious about making the economy work better for working people we need to be honest about the impact that some employers" reliance on low-cost, short-term labour from abroad can have on workers" wages, conditions and job security. To build a recovery that works for the many not just a few at the top we need to address that. That means stronger enforcement of the minimum wage and banning recruitment agencies that only hire from overseas. We believe that it is right to extend the period that EU jobseekers need to live and support themselves in the UK before claiming out-of-work benefits from three months to two years And, I believe we must also look at the role of in-work benefits. It is far too easy for employers in Britain to undercut wages and working conditions by recruiting temporary workers from elsewhere in Europe on very low pay and with no job security, knowing that the benefit system will top up their income. There are 252,000 working households from the EU now receiving tax credits, including 12 per cent of all single, childless people receiving Working Tax Credit. Some may have been working for several years, but others may be recent arrivals on short-term contracts. The House of Commons library estimates total spending on in-work tax credits for EU migrant households amounts to £1.6bn a year. Our country's social security system was never intended to subsidise and perpetuate low-paid and insecure work. The European single market should not be about a race to the bottom on working conditions. So while some have said that we cannot negotiate changes to benefits paid to people in work, I am determined to look at how we can deliver reform in this area too. Third, we will work with European countries to end the absurdity of child benefit and child tax credits being claimed for children living in other countries. We will work with European countries to end the absurdity of child benefit and child tax credits being claimed for children living in other countries The most recent estimates from the House of Commons library showed 20,400 people receiving child benefit for 34,268 children living in other countries, and 4,011 people receiving Child Tax Credit for 6,838 children living in other countries. Nowhere is the defeatism of the Conservative approach to Europe more evident than how they have handled this issue. David Cameron has complained that it "seems extremely difficult, if not impossible" to do anything about this. Yet the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs has recently expressed support for the change we want to see, and I have already raised the issue with government ministers in France and Germany. Whether it is welfare reform, or reform of the EU, it is the Tories who are letting Britain down. While they break their promises and pander to prejudice it falls to Labour to set out clear principles of fairness and responsibility. These are Labour values and British values, and the values on which we will reform our welfare system, and get a better deal for Britain in a reformed European Union. Rachel Reeves is shadow secretary of state for work and pensions