Reform UK pledges to ban foreign nationals from claiming almost all benefits
The move is part of plans to slash the welfare bill by £50 billion a year
Robert Jenrick will unveil the plans at a press conference on Monday (Image: Getty)
A Reform UK government would ban foreign nationals from claiming almost all forms of welfare as part of a major overhaul. Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick will unveil a 50-page plan to slash the soaring benefits bill by £50 billion a year at a press conference on Monday.
Under the plans, foreign nationals including those with EU settled status will no longer qualify for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child Benefit, free childcare, or disability benefits. The party would also abolish personal independence payments (Pip) and the health element of Universal Credit for working-age adults.
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.
It comes as welfare spending is forecast to reach an eye-watering £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 covers almost all welfare payments.
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.”