Britain's interior minister proposed tough new rules on Monday for migrants seeking to settle in the UK, as the ruling Labour party sought to bolster its fight against the hard right at its annual conference.

Migrants looking to remain indefinitely will have to have a job, not claim benefits and undertake volunteer community work under plans designed to claw back support among voters drawn to the hard-right, anti-immigrant Reform UK party, whose popularity is soaring in opinion polls.

Confronting Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, is the main theme of Labour's four-day gathering in Liverpool, northwest England.

Currently, migrants with family in Britain and who have lived in the country for five years qualify for "indefinite leave to remain" -- permanent residence -- as do those who have lived legally in the UK for 10 years on any type of visa.

Eligible applicants meeting those thresholds also earn the right to live, work and study in the UK and to apply for benefits and British citizenship.

But in a major policy shift, interior minister Shabana........

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