Reform UK pledges to bar foreign nationals from welfare support
Reform UK has announced plans to prohibit foreign nationals from accessing nearly all forms of welfare, a move that has drawn significant criticism as “senseless and cruel,” reports BritPanorama.
The party, led by Nigel Farage, intends to eliminate entitlements to Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child Benefit, free childcare, and disability benefits if it secures victory in the upcoming general election. Reform claims this initiative could save taxpayers approximately £21 billion annually within five years, affecting even those EU nationals granted ‘settled status’ post-Brexit.
Critics have lambasted the proposal, warning it could reignite protracted Brexit negotiations and deny support to millions who have contributed to the UK through taxes over many years. Robert Jenrick, Reform’s Treasury spokesman, is set to formally unveil this policy during a press conference.
Jenrick stated, “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 measures would extend beyond previous commitments to curtail Universal Credit for foreign nationals, covering “almost all forms of welfare.” Few exceptions would apply, primarily concerning the War Widows Pension and Armed Forces compensation, aimed at safeguarding contributions of those who have served in Britain’s military.
Under these proposals, those who have lived and worked in the UK for 25 years would retain their state pension but lose access to all other benefits. However, they would still have the option to apply for British citizenship.
Concerns arose regarding potential delays in implementing these measures, which would require renegotiating the post-Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU—an agreement currently protecting the social security entitlements of residents prior to Britain’s departure from the bloc.
At the press event, Jenrick will likely emphasize the need for fiscal prudence, warning that failure to enact savings could “bankrupt Britain” and lead to increased taxation. He has also criticized his former party, the Conservatives, for their approach to welfare, labelling them as “two sides of the same coin” alongside Labour.
A Labour spokesperson denounced the plans, stating they would “rip up the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, plunging the UK back into years of Brexit renegotiations.” Advocates for migrant rights have pointed out that most migrants already have limited access to welfare under current regulations.
Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson Steve Darling argued, “These proposals are a rehash of the same Conservative playbook,” while highlighting that the focus should instead be on addressing root causes of the welfare issue.
Helen Whately, shadow work and pensions secretary for the Conservatives, referred to the initiative as “a cobbled-together announcement which is already unravelling,” asserting it risks reopening old Brexit disputes with no guarantee of success.
Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Greens, condemned the proposal as a display of “xenophobia” and an attempt to undercut support for vulnerable individuals, suggesting a need to tax the wealthy instead.
Campaign group Best for Britain noted in their statements that public sentiment leans towards renegotiating ties with Europe in a way that strengthens relations rather than alienates allies. Observations suggest that Reform UK’s ambitions may increasingly misalign with the broader public’s expectations for economic growth.
The context these debates unfold in illustrates profound societal divisions over how to balance domestic welfare reform with the rights and contributions of foreign nationals living in the UK.
