Most people in the European Union’s five biggest member states think immigrants should be required to take a citizenship and language test to stay in their adopted countries, according to a Financial Times/Harris poll released on Thursday.

Some 86 per cent of Germans, 83 per cent of Britons, 61 per cent of both French and Italians and 50 per cent of Spaniards regard such a citizenship and language test as necessary, the poll shows.