Foreign workers from outside the European Union will be banned from coming to the UK to work as secondary school biology teachers, vets and orchestral musicians, the Government has announced.

The move will see the number of jobs open to non-EU migrant workers fall by 40,000 to 190,000 after the Government accepted the recommendations of its advisers, the Migration Advisory Committee (Mac), the Home Office said.

Some 28 job titles will be removed from the list from next month, including secondary school biology teachers, veterinary surgeons, and pharmacists.

A further occupation, rank-and-file orchestral musicians, will also be removed from the list, but the practical arrangements will take longer to ensure that orchestras can comply with the necessary requirements.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said: "Alongside our limits on overseas workers, we are taking action to provide businesses with the skills they need from the British workforce and reduce their need for migrants.

"We want the brightest and the best people from outside the EU with the skills we can benefit from in the UK."