- Reform UK proposes banning foreign nationals from almost all welfare payments, including housing benefit, pension credit, jobseeker's allowance, child benefit, free childcare and disability benefits, with only a few exemptions.
- Reform claims the policy would save £21bn a year by its fifth year, but Labour and the Conservatives have criticised the plans.
- Robert Jenrick defended the policy, saying it is "economically illiterate but plain immoral" to force British workers to pay for foreigners' benefits.
- Labour criticised the plans as "plunging the UK back into years of Brexit renegotiations" and stripping support from millions who have lawfully lived and worked in Britain.
- Other parties responded: the Tories' Helen Whately said people want welfare spending under control, the Lib Dems said fixing the NHS and social care is key, and the Greens called it "cowardly" to take from the most defenceless.
- The ban would require renegotiating the UK's Brexit deal, potentially affecting British expatriates' rights in the EU.
- Reform has accounted for a potential £500m cost of British expats returning from the EU to claim benefits if the EU retaliates.
Reform UK has unveiled a controversial proposal to ban foreign nationals, including EU citizens, from accessing most welfare payments, which would require a significant renegotiation of the Brexit deal. This plan aims to overhaul the UK’s benefits system and could save £21 billion annually by its fifth year.
The proposed ban would affect a wide range of benefits, including housing benefit, pension credit, jobseeker's allowance, child benefit, free childcare, and disability benefits. Only a few exemptions would apply, such as the war widows pension and Armed Forces compensation. Critics, including Labour, argue that this policy would strip support from millions of individuals who have lawfully lived, worked, and paid taxes in the UK for years, if not decades.
The party has also accounted for a potential £500 million cost if British expatriates return from the EU to claim benefits in response to any retaliatory measures. Labour has condemned the proposal as a move that would plunge the UK back into years of Brexit renegotiations, while the Conservatives have labeled it as “cobbled together.”
In a statement, Jenrick emphasized, “Forcing British workers to pay for the benefits of foreigners is not just economically illiterate but plain immoral.” He added that while people support their neighbors in tough times, the British taxpayer cannot subsidize everyone globally, especially those who have not contributed.
The Lib Dems and Greens have also criticized the proposal, suggesting that addressing issues within the NHS and social care should take precedence over cutting benefits for vulnerable populations.
“Reform claims the ban would save £21bn a year by its fifth year, but Labour says it would strip support from millions who have lawfully lived and worked in Britain. Robert Jenrick defended the policy, calling it 'economically illiterate but plain immoral' to force British workers to pay for foreigners' benefits.”
