Reform UK has published a 50-page blueprint to cut £50 billion from Britain's welfare budget, which is projected to reach £407 billion by 2030. The plan includes banning foreign nationals from claiming almost all forms of welfare.
Welfare spending under scrutiny
Between April 2022 and February 2026, the UK spent £55 billion on benefits for foreign nationals, according to Department for Work and Pensions data. Reform's Robert Jenrick said forcing British workers to pay for benefits for those who have never contributed is "not just economically illiterate; it is plain immoral."
Rise in disability and sickness claims
The plan also calls for reassessing disability and sickness claims, with nearly 720,000 claimants expected for mild mental health or neurodiversity conditions by the end of the Parliament. Jenrick argues this has created a "culture of welfare over work."
Political response
Labour has dismissed the proposals as "fantasy economics." Reform and the Conservatives have both proposed reassessing such claims to ensure welfare acts as a bridge to independence rather than a permanent state.
The party argues that without action, Britain risks becoming a nation that has "simply run out of road."
