The Government has announced it intends bringing in sanctions in April 2007 that will penalise ethnic minorities who refuse to learn English.

This could seriously affect the rental income of those buy-to-let landlords that accept non-English speaking tenants on housing benefit.

The announcement puts landlords in an impossible situation, because refusing to accept ethnic minorities who cannot speak English would surely breach discrimination laws - but accepting them in the future could mean a loss of rent.

Welfare Minister, Jim Murphy, delivered the shock announcement during a speech addressing unemployment rates amongst ethnic minorities, which was reported by Reuters.

More than £4 million is spent on translators at jobcentres to help those who cannot speak English claim benefits and Mr Murphy proposes that from April, this money should instead be spent on improving the language skills of the unemployed to help them find work.