MIGRANTS applying for a British passport will soon have to be able to recite the first verse of God Save the Queen, under an overhaul of the UK citizenship test this autumn. They could also be tested on their knowledge of Winston Churchill, Lord Byron, Florence Nightingale and William Shakespeare, as well as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, before they can qualify to become a British citizen.

The stronger emphasis on traditional British history is part of a move by the home affairs minister, Theresa May, to a more “patriotic guide” for migrants who want to settle in the UK before they can qualify for a passport.

May also wants to drop sections of the official Life in the UK: A Journey to Citizenship handbook, which explains things such as the human rights act and how to claim welfare benefits and give details of managing everyday life such as reading the gas meter, getting home contents insurance or dealing with the local council.

Instead, Conservative ministers want to tell new migrants that Britain is “historically” a Christian country with a “long and illustrious history”. The Sunday Times reports that a draft of the handbook includes profiles of historical characters including the Queen, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Alexander Fleming, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Emmeline Pankhurst, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and poets such as Robert Browning and Lord Byron.

A Home Office official said: “It’s a move away from the old one — stuff on rights, practical info that has little to do with British culture — to one that is clear about responsibilities and requires people to have a grounding in our history.”

This stronger emphasis on Britishness in the citizenship test will also be reflected by the requirement to learn the first verse of God Save the Queen. Modern Britain is to be reflected by questions about British inventions such as the structure of DNA and the Internet and about the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. There is not, however, expected to be any mention of the Sex Pistols. — The Guardian, London