Marine Le Pen has called for foreign children to be banned from accessing free education in France, as part of tough proposals to restrict services provided by the state .

The far-right candidate in the French presidential elections warned of “no more playtime” during a speech in Paris

"I've got nothing against foreigners but I say to them ‘If you come to our country, don't expect that you will be taken care of, treated, and that your children will be educated for free’,” she said. “That's finished now.”

Mrs Le Pen’s campaign manager later told AFP she was only referring to children of “illegal immigrants”.

Ms Le Pen said that any foreigner using the public education system without paying tax in France would have to contribute.

"We're going to reserve our efforts and our national solidarity for the most humble, the most modest and the most poor among us," Ms Le Pen told the conference.

The proposals were immediately dismissed as unworkable by French Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, who said she condemned them "with the greatest force".

“With these words... Madame Le Pen proves... her complete indifference to the terrible human circumstances faced by young children,” she said in a statement.

Ms Vallaud-Belkacem also made clear that France guaranteed free education for all school-age children on its territory under its national laws and the international conventions it has signed.

“I remind you that it's a matter of honour for the French republic to guarantee to children, to all children, the right to an education – in other words, the right to a future,” she said.

Ms Le Pen, the Front National (FN), leader is widely expected to be one of two candidates to reach the second round of the presidential election in May next year.

Mrs Le Pen wants to take France out of the eurozone and plans to hold a referendum on the country’s membership of the European Union.

Marine Le Pen claims no difference between her policies and Ukip

David Cameron has said a victory for Mrs Le Pen would be a “body blow” for the European project.

But the latest opinion poll suggests she would suffer a heavy defeat by Francis Fillon, the conservative candidate, in the second round of the presidential vote.