Eighteen Church of England bishops have signed an open letter, criticising the government's proposed welfare changes.

In the letter, in The Observer, the bishops express concerns about plans to limit the amount any household can claim in benefits to £500 a week.

Their intervention has received the backing of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York.

The government says the reforms are designed to reduce a culture of benefit dependency.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15808922

Immigration

He wants to ensure those coming to the UK are genuinely here for family reasons, that they can speak English and they do not have to "scrape by, or worse, to subsist on benefit".

Mr Cameron said a sample of more than 500 family migration cases found over 70% of UK-based sponsors earned less than £20,000 a year after tax.

Explaining why couples should have to do more to prove they are genuine, he gave the example of a Pakistani national who applied for a spouse visa on the basis of his marriage to someone settled in the UK.

The man obtained indefinite leave to remain and then immediately divorced his UK-based spouse, returned to Pakistan and re-married and then applied for entry clearance for his new spouse.

Forced marriages

The European Commission has threatened legal action against the UK, saying a test of eligibility for benefits discriminates against foreigners.

It says it is easier for UK citizens to prove their "right to reside" - a test imposed by the UK for certain benefits - than EU nationals.

The commission says it may refer the case to the European Court of Justice.

UK ministers fear taxpayers could be forced into handing out more than £2bn to EU nationals - including so-called "benefits tourists" - if the UK has to comply.

Ministers say it is a "fundamental challenge" to the UK's right to decide its own social security arrangements.

The UK's first female Asian peer has used a debate in the Lords to criticise Pakistani and Bangladeshi families for having too many children.

Baroness Flather suggested people in some minority communities had a large number of children in order to be able to claim more benefits.

The peer, born in Lahore before the partition of India, said the issue did not apply to families of Indian origin.

The cross-bencher said benefit cuts could help to discourage extra births.

Baroness Flather, speaking during a debate on the government's welfare changes, said: "The minority communities in this country, particularly the Pakistanis and the Bangladeshis have a very large number of children and the attraction is the large number of benefits that follow the child.