A controversial requirement to fingerprint EU nationals who want to work in the UK after Brexit has been dropped from a forthcoming immigration white paper.

Instead ministers will require EU visitors to the UK to their faces scanned if they want to stay and work in the UK, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.

The news will ease concerns of critics that EU nationals might feel they were being criminalised if they were finger printed for trying to work legally in the UK.

An immigration white paper is due to be published in coming weeks by the Government.

An early draft, which was leaked by officials, suggested finger printing EU nationals who wanted to remain in the UK. It said: "In order to protect against identity fraud, we may also wish to take the fingerprints of those new arrivals who are registering and as now we will carry out a security check."

However, a senior Home Office source said that instead of fingerprints the immigration officers will use technology that scans faces when EU nationals register to work in the UK. Similar non-invasive technology which scans visitors' eyes are already used for new arrivals at Heathrow airport.