Immigrants who want to become British citizens will have to reach a minimum standard in English language, Home Secretary David Blunkett has announced.

People who take part in the Government's new citizenship ceremonies - introduced last year - will have to attain stage three of an internationally-recognised scale.

Applicants will have to read and write to a certain standard, and also speak and understand English in a variety of formal and informal situations.

Mr Blunkett has expressed his desire to increase a sense of identity for people taking British nationality and further announcements will be made regarding his planned "Britishness test" in the autumn.

People who take these citizenship classes may not be required to reach the same level of proficiency in English, a Home Office spokeswoman said.

The requirement will come into force in 21 days and people who can afford language lessons will be expected to pay for their classes, although a number of free English courses already exist, she added.

It marked a departure from a recommendation of the panel appointed by Mr Blunkett to look at citizenship issues last year.

The experts, led by Professor Sir Bernard Crick, rejected the idea that all applicants should meet minimum standards, instead proposing they should improve their language skills by at least one level set by the Department for Education and Skills.

They had also recommended the lessons should be free.

The announcement came as Mr Blunkett said he would launch a renewed attempt to make inciting religious hatred a criminal offence.

The new offence is likely to be closely modelled on the existing crime of inciting racial hatred which carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment.

Making it a crime to incite religious hatred could help protect minority religions from attack by right-wing groups, Mr Blunkett said.

But it could also be deployed against other extremists, who preach against Christian society.

Mr Blunkett said it would be a "two-way street", adding,'It applies equally to far-right evangelical Christians as to extremists in the Islamic faith."

The Government will be introducing the new offence "as soon as possible", he added.

The Government first tried to bring in the offence in 2001 as part of a package of emergency measures in the weeks following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

But it was dropped in the face of strong opposition in the House of Lords.

This time ministers hope to win Parliamentary backing, a Home Office spokeswoman said.

But the Islamic Human Rights Commission raised concerns that religious minorities could find themselves the targets of prosecutions under the proposed legislation, rather than enjoying additional protection from it.

Those charged under the existing laws against incitement to racial hatred have been disproportionately drawn from black and ethnic minority groups, pointed out chairman Massoud Shadjareh.

"In the light of the well-recognised institutional Islamophobic society that we have at the moment, this legislation could very well be used against Muslim communities, rather than protecting them," he said.

Shadow home secretary David Davis attacked the proposals as "unworkable".

"It will impinge on civil liberties and only serve to make lawyers rich," he said.