The centre-left think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research has welcomed the European Court of Justice ruling on UK benefit curbs, saying it shows the court is "becoming more sympathetic to the UK’s interpretation of free movement rules". 

Research fellow Marley Morris said:

The IPPR said the UK was right to defend the current case, because EU citizens who have been in the UK for less than five years should not be entitled to welfare benefits if they (and their family members) are not economically active and not able to support themselves.  

Labour is making a new push to persuade its traditional supporters to back Remain in the EU referendum, as Gavin Hewitt reports.

A bit more on that European Court of Justice ruling which says Britain can require recipients of child benefit and child tax credit to have a right to reside in the UK.

The European Commission had argued that checking whether claimants were legally resident amounted to discrimination against foreign EU workers because British citizens were not checked in that way.

But the court has found that the UK is operating within the rules on the free movement of citizens and was not "systematically" carrying out such verification, only investigating where there was "doubt".

"Although that condition is considered to amount to indirect discrimination, it is justified by the need to protect the finances of the host Member State," the ruling stated.

David Cameron made securing steps to curb what he calls “benefit tourism” a key focus of his EU renegotiation efforts, and this is expected to the first of several legal challenges to the concessions he obtained.

EU campaigners are now targeting voters based on their party loyalties, but are their messages adding to the confusion?

European Parliament
Brussels

French Liberal MEP Sylvie Goulard asks Jereon Dijsselbloem whether he would agree with comments made recently by German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble appearing to suggest that if the UK votes to leave the EU, it would also have to leave the single market as well. 

"Do I agree that in is in and out is out...in general terms, yes" says Mr Dijsselbloem in reply. 

He adds that voters in the UK may not be very interested in what he has to say, but he believes that there is a "strong argument for European co-operation" to be made. 

He says that if the UK does vote to remain, he "would like to see them become an active member" of the EU, adding that the country has become "more and more passive" in its role in recent years. 

The EU's top court has backed the UK's right to limit child benefits to European migrants, according to the AFP news agency.

The European Court of Justice rejected a challenge by the European Commission to Britain's rules, saying that "the UK can require recipients of child benefit and child tax credit to have a right to reside in the UK."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

On immigration, Alan Johnson says Labour have been "talking about immigration all the way though this", although he adds that "sometimes people haven't been listening to us".

"If immigration is your big concern, if we leave the situation is going to be worse..." he continues.

"If anyone believes that our UK border in Calais is going to survive us leaving the EU, then once again they're in the realms of fantasy.

"If you are concerned about accession countries like Turkey, stay in the EU because Britain gets a veto and can determine the terms of them coming in, including maybe not allowing free movement from those countries."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, PA

Now up on the Today programme is Alan Johnson, former home secretary and leader of Labour Stronger In.

"I was always going to get nervous at this stage of the game," he says when it's suggested things are looking worrying for Remain.

He's asked about the claim today by Leave that farmers, scientists, cultural bodies and others who currently get EU funding will continue to receive that money in the event of Brexit.

"That money won't exist," he hits back. "GDP only has to be hit by just over half a per cent to eradicate the £8bn that is sent to Europe and distributed through farming subsidies, etc."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Priti Patel is asked whether Leave accept there'd be any kind of economic hit as a result of Brexit.

"I think it's pretty pessimistic that the Remain side keep talking down our economy," she replies.

Pushed again, she insists: "Of course, there would be more economic growth through the opportunities that we would have to trade with new countries around the world."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

What would you spend the extra money on that you say will be available after Brexit, Leave campaigner Priti Patel is asked.

"Our pledge to the NHS. VAT on fuel... these are the commitments that we are clear that we can make," she replies.

Leave campaigners have said they would also build roads or increase school places, but Ms Patel won't make any commitments on that front.

"We are clear that when we take back control of the money that we currently send to the European Union, the government of the day will have options and the choices about how to spend that money," she says.

How then can you say that scientists, farmers, cultural organisations would continue to get the same funding as they do right now from the EU, she's asked.

"We know that there'd be more than enough money to ensure that those who currently get that funding... that money would still exist and it could still go there to those priorities."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Employment Minister and Leave campaigner Priti Patel is asked on what authority her campaign can promise to maintain EU funding in the event of Brexit.

"We are saying that government can choose how it would spend the money" if we take back control, she replies.

The government of the day might make very different decision in event of Brexit, it's put to her.

She says at present the European Union even dictates how the money it returns to the UK in its rebate is spent - and voting out would return control of that to Westminster.

Image source, PA

We mentioned earlier that union leaders are joining forces with the entire shadow cabinet today to warn of the risk of Brexit to the NHS. We already have a heads-up on some of what they're expected to tell a rally later.

Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC, above, will say:

Unison leader Dave Prentis will tell the rally:

Financial Times

A very interesting read in this morning's Financial Times from Janan Ganesh, who says the referendum campaign has paved the way for "a different arrangement of forces" in British politics. 

He says "mild Conservatives and moderate adherents to the Labour cause" on the Remain side have more in common with each other than the rest of their parties. Against them, "the Tory right and the Labour left" that make up Leave "are conservative and anti-establishment at the same time".

Ganesh says there could then be a "reconfiguration" some time in the future, adding: "At least elections between a Christian Democrat-style party and a Liberal-ish party would correspond to the arguments we're having today."

Image source, Getty Images

The newspaper sketchwriters have been reviewing Gordon Brown's performance yesterday, as he gave an impassioned speech in favour of Remain. 

John Crace, of the Guardian, says that unlike his widely celebrated "Scottish intervention" during the independence referendum campaign, it was peppered with jokes. 

"Only it wasn't quite the time and place," he writes. "It had been his obvious sincerity and passion that cut it in Glasgow, not his crowd-pleasing."

Michael Deacon, in the Daily Telegraph meanwhile, says the Remain campaign "has been striving desperately to find a way to handle the issue of immigration" in a way they assures voters' they are being listened to.

He doesn't think Mr Brown provided that, relaying tetchy exchanges the former PM had with reporters after his speech on Monday when they tried to raise the issue.

Deacon says he dismissed it as "merely an 'agenda' of the media", but adds that Remain will "just have to hope that the electorate doesn't have an agenda" too.