By . Steve Doughty . PUBLISHED: . 06:06 EST, 1 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:31 EST, 2 July 2012 . Immigrants who want to settle in Britain will in future have to learn about Shakespeare, Florence Nightingale and the Beatles, ministers suggested yesterday. A new cultural test will ask settlers to know about historic figures and to understand British achievements, including military victories such as the Battle of Trafalgar. It will ask immigrants to learn by heart the first verse of the national anthem – although no one will be required to memorise the other three. British history: Immigrants who want to settle . in Britain will have to learn about Florence Nightingale and Isambard . Kingdom Brunel . The test, aimed at encouraging migrants to integrate into society, will replace a citizenship exam introduced by Labour seven years ago which asked for knowledge of human rights, the EU and how to claim benefits. Instead of asking about when women won the right to divorce or who gets free prescriptions, the ‘Life in the UK’ test will demand knowledge of artists, poets and authors. Home Secretary Theresa May first promised a new settlement test last month as part of the Coalition’s drive to make sure long-term immigrants can speak English and are familiar with the culture and history of their new country. A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Putting our culture and history at the heart of the  test will help ensure those permanently settling can understand British life allowing them to properly integrate into our society.’ Cultural lessons: The citizen test will now include military victories such as the Battle of Trafalgar . Tony Blair’s test, completed by all those applying for citizenship, was produced by a Left-led committee at a time when multiculturalism – the idea that migrant groups  must be allowed to develop their own culture and that British history is tainted with racism – held sway among Labour leaders. Although background handbooks on citizenship had sections on British history, these were never tested. Mrs May’s test will be based on a handbook which calls the UK ‘a modern, thriving society with a long and illustrious history’. Historic figures referred to in drafts of the test material include the Duke of Wellington and Nelson, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale, Alexander Fleming and Emmeline Pankhurst. Key battles and their dates have to be learned, along with information about the role in the nation’s history of spiritual foundation stones, such as the King James Bible. Immigrants are told – as they are not in the existing test – that ‘historically, the UK is a Christian country’. Scrapped: Sample questions from Labour's citizen exam, which introduced seven years ago . Revamp: The Life In the UK test was first introduced by the Labour Government in 2005 - and included questions on how to claim benefits . Overhaul: Home Secretary Theresa May will unveil a revised version of the test which places the emphasis on British historical facts and culture . Artists about whom settlers will have . to know are Gainsborough, Turner and Constable; novelist names are Jane . Austen, Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy; and poets include Byron, Blake . and Browning. The handbook asks migrants to learn . passages of poetry including Browning’s Home Thoughts, from Abroad. Musical figures range from Elgar and Holst to the Beatles and the . Rolling Stones. In place of practical advice on employment disputes or bin collections, candidates are told that fundamentalist views are unwelcome. The new guide says: ‘Britain is proud of being a welcoming country but all residents, regardless of their background, are expected to comply with the law and to understand that some things which may be allowed in other legal systems are not acceptable in the UK.’ The guide was welcomed by Alp Mehmet, of the Migrationwatch UK think-tank. ‘I think this is the right thing to do,’ he said. ‘It is about looking for what people can contribute and looking for an understanding of the country, rather than being aimed at people who are looking for what they can get out of the country.’ Numbers of people granted settlement have fallen since the Coalition came to power. In the 12 months to March this year there was a 35 per cent fall in settlement grants, from 226,478 to 148,144.
Questions on claiming benefits and the Human Rights Act will be scrapped in overhaul .
Immigrants will be forced to memorise profiles on William Shakespeare and they must also learn about the Battle of Trafalgar .
Bin collection questions will also be axed .
By . Steve Doughty . PUBLISHED: . 06:06 EST, 1 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:31 EST, 2 July 2012 . Immigrants who want to settle in Britain will in future have to learn about Shakespeare, Florence Nightingale and the Beatles, ministers suggested yesterday. A new cultural test will ask settlers to know about historic figures and to understand British achievements, including military victories such as the Battle of Trafalgar. It will ask immigrants to learn by heart the first verse of the national anthem – although no one will be required to memorise the other three. British history: Immigrants who want to settle . in Britain will have to learn about Florence Nightingale and Isambard . Kingdom Brunel . The test, aimed at encouraging migrants to integrate into society, will replace a citizenship exam introduced by Labour seven years ago which asked for knowledge of human rights, the EU and how to claim benefits. Instead of asking about when women won the right to divorce or who gets free prescriptions, the ‘Life in the UK’ test will demand knowledge of artists, poets and authors. Home Secretary Theresa May first promised a new settlement test last month as part of the Coalition’s drive to make sure long-term immigrants can speak English and are familiar with the culture and history of their new country. A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Putting our culture and history at the heart of the  test will help ensure those permanently settling can understand British life allowing them to properly integrate into our society.’ Cultural lessons: The citizen test will now include military victories such as the Battle of Trafalgar . Tony Blair’s test, completed by all those applying for citizenship, was produced by a Left-led committee at a time when multiculturalism – the idea that migrant groups  must be allowed to develop their own culture and that British history is tainted with racism – held sway among Labour leaders. Although background handbooks on citizenship had sections on British history, these were never tested. Mrs May’s test will be based on a handbook which calls the UK ‘a modern, thriving society with a long and illustrious history’. Historic figures referred to in drafts of the test material include the Duke of Wellington and Nelson, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale, Alexander Fleming and Emmeline Pankhurst. Key battles and their dates have to be learned, along with information about the role in the nation’s history of spiritual foundation stones, such as the King James Bible. Immigrants are told – as they are not in the existing test – that ‘historically, the UK is a Christian country’. Scrapped: Sample questions from Labour's citizen exam, which introduced seven years ago . Revamp: The Life In the UK test was first introduced by the Labour Government in 2005 - and included questions on how to claim benefits . Overhaul: Home Secretary Theresa May will unveil a revised version of the test which places the emphasis on British historical facts and culture . Artists about whom settlers will have . to know are Gainsborough, Turner and Constable; novelist names are Jane . Austen, Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy; and poets include Byron, Blake . and Browning. The handbook asks migrants to learn . passages of poetry including Browning’s Home Thoughts, from Abroad. Musical figures range from Elgar and Holst to the Beatles and the . Rolling Stones. In place of practical advice on employment disputes or bin collections, candidates are told that fundamentalist views are unwelcome. The new guide says: ‘Britain is proud of being a welcoming country but all residents, regardless of their background, are expected to comply with the law and to understand that some things which may be allowed in other legal systems are not acceptable in the UK.’ The guide was welcomed by Alp Mehmet, of the Migrationwatch UK think-tank. ‘I think this is the right thing to do,’ he said. ‘It is about looking for what people can contribute and looking for an understanding of the country, rather than being aimed at people who are looking for what they can get out of the country.’ Numbers of people granted settlement have fallen since the Coalition came to power. In the 12 months to March this year there was a 35 per cent fall in settlement grants, from 226,478 to 148,144.
in future have to learn about Shakespeare, although no one will be required to memorise the victories such as the Battle of Trafalgar . Tony - and included questions on how to claim benefits