A Reform UK government would ban foreign nationals from claiming almost all kinds of benefits in the UK. Nigel Farage's party said the measure forms part of a wider plan to save more than £50billion a year from the ballooning welfare bill. Reform would also abolish personal independence payments (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit for working-age adults.
Ending the 'foreign welfare rip-off'
As he unveiled the plans at a press conference on Monday, the party's Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, vowed to end the "foreign welfare rip-off". He said: "We will begin by ending the foreign welfare rip-off. Under a Reform government, only British citizens will be entitled to benefits."
He said that there would be "limited exceptions", but added: "The welfare state is there for Britain – no British citizenship, no entitlement, that's fair."
Savings and scope of the ban
The proposal to end eligibility to benefits for foreigners would save around £21billion annually by the fifth year of the scheme, Reform claimed. The ban would cover EU nationals with settled status in the UK, meaning the Brexit deal would need to be renegotiated with the EU and Britons living in the bloc could lose their rights to benefits as a result.
Political reaction
Tory Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately dismissed the plans as "cobbled together" proposals that "will drag Britain back into Brexit battles with no certainty of success".
A Labour spokesman said: "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. That includes people with settled status who are part of our communities, raising families, working and contributing to our economy."
