Reform UK has pledged to ban foreign nationals from claiming almost all forms of welfare, including those with EU settled status, under a major overhaul of the benefits system.
Reform's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick will unveil a 50-page plan to cut the soaring benefits bill by £50 billion a year at a press conference on Monday. The proposals would remove eligibility for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance, Child Benefit, free childcare, and disability benefits for foreign nationals. The party would also abolish personal independence payments (Pip) and the health element of Universal Credit for working-age adults.
Welfare bill warning
In his speech, Mr Jenrick will warn that unless savings are made the welfare bill will "bankrupt Britain and send taxes even higher". He will accuse the Tories and Labour of being "two sides of the same coin" when it comes to benefits, and insist that "only Reform UK is truly on the side of hardworking Britain that holds our country together".
Ahead of the press conference, Mr Jenrick said: "Forcing British workers to pay for the benefits of foreigners is not just economically illiterate but plain immoral. People are more than happy to support their neighbours in hard times, but the British taxpayer cannot afford to subsidise everyone on the planet, especially those who have not paid in. The public have been crying out for this change for decades. Unlike the two old parties, Reform will deliver a system that’s fair for the British people."
Savings and exemptions
Welfare spending is forecast to reach £407 billion by 2030. Banning foreign nationals from claiming most benefits would save £21 billion a year within five years, according to Reform. The party estimates that British taxpayers have shelled out £55 billion on welfare for foreign nationals between April 2022 and February 2026. There will be some exemptions, including the War Widows Pension and Armed Forces compensation.
The policy means the Brexit deal with Brussels would need to be renegotiated, as it requires the UK to pay benefits to EU nationals as if they were British citizens. Reform had previously pledged to ban foreign nationals from claiming Universal Credit, but the new proposals cover almost all welfare payments.
Reaction from other parties
Tory Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said: "British people want welfare spending under control, abuse stamped out - and dignity for people who are seriously disabled. Serious reforms which take hard work. Reform UK have spent months flip-flopping on the two-child cap and now they’ve rushed out a cobbled-together announcement which is already unravelling. Their proposals will drag Britain back into Brexit battles with no certainty or success."
A Labour spokesperson added: "These plans would mean ripping up the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, plunging the UK back into years of Brexit renegotiations, and stripping support from potentially millions of people who have lawfully lived, worked, and paid taxes in Britain for years, and in many cases decades."
