Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick have unveiled a series of new Reform policies (Image: Getty)

• Reform UK would reinstate the two-child benefit cap if it wins the next general election, Robert Jenrick has confirmed, in a U-turn on the party’s previous stance. The party’s Treasury spokesman said the party’s existing policy was “well-meaning” as a way of encouraging families to have more children, but said it was now unaffordable
• Mr Jenrick pledged to reform the Office for Budget Responsibility, rather than abolish it, and said the Bank of England would remain independent if he were in No 11
• The party will also make changes to the Motability scheme and limit welfare to only British nationals

• Mr Jenrick refused to commit a Reform government to maintaining the pensions triple lock, saying an announcement on the state pension would be made at a later date. However, he dropped a heavy hint that the policy or something very similar will remain
• Nigel Farage named his top team on Tuesday, barely a month after Mr Jenrick left the Conservative front bench, where he was shadow justice secretary. Former home secretary Suella Braverman, who also left the Conservatives for Reform last month, was made her new party’s education, skills and equalities spokeswoman
  

  Reform’s Bombshell New Policies in Full – One Surprised Everyone

  Reform UK has been unveiling an increasingly detailed programme for government, promising major changes to immigration, taxation, welfare, energy, public services and the machinery of the British state.

  Under Nigel Farage’s leadership, the party has sought to move beyond being primarily a protest force and present itself as a potential governing party. Its latest policy programme contains proposals that would affect almost every major area of government, from the Channel and immigration system to household bills, taxation and the civil service.

  Some of the proposals are familiar from Reform’s previous campaigns. Others have been developed or significantly expanded. One proposal in particular has attracted attention because it would change the relationship between elected ministers and Britain’s permanent civil service.

  Reform says its objective is to deliver substantial changes within its first 100 days in office. Its current policy platform promises measures including deploying the Royal Navy to the Channel, increasing the personal allowance to £15,000, cutting energy bills and reducing the size of the university sector in order to redirect resources towards apprenticeships.

  The breadth of the programme explains why Reform’s policy preparations have become a major subject of political debate.

  Immigration at the Centre

  Immigration remains one of the most prominent elements of Reform UK’s programme.

  The party says it wants to end what it describes as mass immigration and move towards what it calls “net negative immigration”. It proposes abolishing Indefinite Leave to Remain and replacing it with renewable five-year visas subject to higher salary thresholds, English-language requirements and stricter good-character rules.

  Reform also says foreign nationals would not be entitled to welfare benefits under its proposed system. However, its current policy documentation makes an important distinction concerning EU citizens with settled status: they would not be included in the proposed abolition of their status, although their entitlement to benefits would change under a Reform government.

  The party also wants to restrict work visas to areas of critical national shortage and introduce requirements intended to encourage employers to train British workers.

  These proposals represent a significant tightening of immigration policy compared with the rules currently in place.

  A Harder Approach to the Channel

  Reform has also promised immediate action on small-boat crossings.

  The party’s current platform says that within 100 days of taking office it would put the Royal Navy into the English Channel to stop the boats.

  Its wider immigration plan includes detention and deportation of people who enter Britain illegally, as well as changes to the asylum system.

  The party has separately published a policy document titled “Operation Restoring Justice”, which sets out its proposed approach to detaining and deporting illegal migrants.

  These proposals would involve major changes to Britain’s current asylum arrangements and would raise significant questions concerning international law, treaty obligations and the practical logistics of removals.

  Reform has made clear that it is prepared to pursue a much more confrontational approach to immigration enforcement than successive governments have adopted.

  The Welfare Revolution

  Another major part of the programme concerns welfare.

  Reform has proposed preventing foreign nationals from receiving welfare benefits, arguing that access to taxpayer-funded support should be restricted.

  The party’s proposals also include substantial changes to disability and health-related benefits.

  Recent announcements by Robert Jenrick have placed welfare reform at the centre of Reform’s economic strategy, with the party claiming that its wider programme could deliver tens of billions of pounds in annual savings.

  The proposals include changes to Personal Independence Payment and the health element of Universal Credit for working-age adults.

  Reform says people with the most severe disabilities would remain protected, while arguing that the existing welfare system has become too expensive and insufficiently connected to employment.

  Critics have questioned whether the projected savings could be achieved without affecting vulnerable people.

  The welfare proposals therefore represent one of the most consequential areas of Reform’s programme.

  The Tax Promise

  Tax cuts remain another important part of Reform’s economic message.

  The party’s current policy page promises to raise the personal allowance to £15,000 and says it would reduce household energy bills by £250.

  However, Reform’s economic programme has evolved considerably since the 2024 general election.

  Earlier proposals contained much larger tax cuts, including plans to increase the personal allowance to £20,000 and introduce other major tax reductions. More recent messaging has placed greater emphasis on identifying spending savings before implementing large-scale tax reductions.

  This reflects a wider effort by Reform to demonstrate that its policies can be financed without destabilising public finances.

  The party’s economic team, including Robert Jenrick, has therefore become increasingly important in explaining how the programme would work financially.

  The Policy That Surprised Many: Reforming the Civil Service

  Perhaps the most unexpected proposal concerns Britain’s senior civil servants.

  Reform has been reported as considering replacing the permanent secretary in every government department with individuals considered more likely to implement the party’s priorities.

  The proposal would represent a significant departure from Britain’s traditional model of a politically neutral permanent civil service.

  According to reporting, senior Reform figures have considered replacing some existing senior officials with outsiders and moving other officials into positions where they are regarded as better suited to implementing the party’s programme.

  The party’s approach has been compared with the more politically appointed model used in the United States.

  Reform has argued that major political change requires ministers and senior officials who are prepared to implement the government’s agenda.

  Critics, however, warn that replacing senior officials on political grounds could lead to the loss of institutional knowledge and experience.

  The FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, criticised the idea, while the Institute for Government raised questions about whether removing experienced officials would make government more effective.

  This proposal is particularly significant because it is not simply a policy affecting one department. It concerns the structure of government itself.

  Universities and Apprenticeships

  Education is another area where Reform proposes a substantial shift.

  The party says it would cut back what it describes as an oversized university sector and redirect funding towards apprenticeships.

  The argument is that Britain should place greater emphasis on vocational training and practical skills rather than encouraging large numbers of young people to enter university.

  This proposal reflects Reform’s broader economic philosophy, which emphasises technical education, skilled employment and training for domestic workers.

  The policy would nevertheless have significant consequences for universities, students and employers.

  Questions would include which university courses would be affected, how funding would be redistributed and whether apprenticeships could absorb the additional demand.

  Energy and Net Zero

  Reform has also proposed a major change to Britain’s energy policy.

  The party wants to repeal regulations associated with the UK’s net-zero programme and argues that environmental rules have increased costs and restricted economic growth.

  Its broader economic proposals include greater investment in nuclear power and support for domestic energy production.

  Reform has argued that reducing energy costs would benefit households and businesses while making Britain more competitive.

  Critics of this approach have raised questions about the UK’s long-term climate commitments and the economic consequences of reversing environmental policies.

  The debate therefore involves both short-term household costs and longer-term questions about Britain’s energy system.

  A Different Style of Government

  Taken together, these policies reveal something broader about Reform UK’s political strategy.

  The party is not simply proposing changes to individual policies. It is proposing changes to the way government operates.

  The plan to reorganise the senior civil service is perhaps the clearest example.

  Reform has also indicated that it would consider bringing outside experts into government and has developed a larger policy team to prepare for the possibility of taking office. Reporting in March 2026 indicated that the party was recruiting and preparing policy ideas on a scale intended to support a future government.

  The approach reflects Farage’s stated ambition to present Reform as a government-in-waiting rather than merely an opposition movement.

  What Would the First 100 Days Look Like?

  Reform’s promise of action within the first 100 days is central to its current message.

  The party says its ministers would be expected to deliver meaningful change quickly and has even pledged that ministers who fail to do so would resign, with those refusing to resign facing dismissal.

  The first 100 days would therefore potentially involve simultaneous action across immigration, welfare, taxation, energy, education and government administration.

  That would be an unusually ambitious legislative programme.

  Many of the proposals would require parliamentary legislation, detailed regulations or negotiations with other governments. Others could potentially be implemented through executive decisions or administrative changes.

  The practical difference between announcing a policy and implementing it would therefore be considerable.

  The Bigger Political Picture

  Reform UK’s expanding policy programme reflects the party’s attempt to establish a distinctive governing identity.

  Immigration and welfare remain central, but the programme now reaches into economic policy, education, energy and the structure of the British state.

  The proposal concerning civil servants is especially notable because it challenges a long-standing feature of Britain’s constitutional system: the expectation that senior officials serve governments of different political parties while maintaining political neutrality.

  Whether such a change would improve the effectiveness of government or weaken institutional continuity is a matter of political and constitutional debate.

  What is clear is that Reform is proposing a different model of government from the one traditionally associated with Westminster.

  Conclusion

  Reform UK’s latest policy programme is considerably broader than its familiar immigration message.

  The party is proposing tougher immigration controls, changes to welfare eligibility, tax reductions, cheaper energy, a greater emphasis on apprenticeships, major changes to net-zero policy and a fundamental rethink of the civil service.

  Its immigration platform would abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain and introduce renewable five-year visas for many migrants, while its welfare proposals would restrict access to benefits for foreign nationals.

  But the proposal that may ultimately have the greatest institutional significance is the plan to change the senior civil service and bring government officials more closely into line with the priorities of elected ministers.

  Reform says these changes are necessary to deliver the political transformation it believes Britain needs.

  Critics question the financial assumptions, constitutional implications and practical consequences.

  The next stage will be crucial: turning ambitious policy announcements into detailed legislation, costed programmes and workable government decisions.

  For Reform UK, the message is increasingly clear. The party wants voters to see it not simply as an alternative voice in Westminster, but as a potential government prepared to make sweeping changes from its first day in office.