British PM seeks EU support for new migration curbs

British Prime Minister David Cameron has urged other European Union (EU) leaders to support his "reasonable" proposals for far-reaching curbs on welfare benefits for migrants, media reported Friday.

Cameron said lower EU migration would be a priority in future negotiations on Britain's membership and he said would "rule nothing out" if he did not get the changes he wanted, BBC reported.

Under his plans, migrants will have to wait four years for certain benefits.

Brussels said the ideas were "part of the debate" to be "calmly considered".

But UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage said Cameron was "behind the curve" on immigration, while Labour said Cameron had "no credibility" on the subject.

In a long-awaited speech in a factory in the West Midlands, Cameron said that he was confident he could change the basis of EU migration into Britain and, therefore, campaign for Britain to stay in the EU in a future referendum planned for 2017.

But he warned that if Britain's demands fall on "deaf ears", he would "rule nothing out" -- the strongest hint to date he could countenance Britain leaving the EU.

The main proposals which are dependent on Cameron remaining in power after May's general election include stopping EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits, such as tax credits, removing migrants from Britain after six months if they have not found work, restricting the right of migrants to bring family members into Britain, speeding up deportation of convicted criminals and stopping migrants claiming child benefit and tax credits for children living outside Britain.

Cameron said there was "no doubt" his package of proposals would require changes to the treaties governing the EU.

He said he wanted the package to be adopted across the EU but that if it was not, he would seek a new arrangement applying only to Britain.